We are Steel
by EndlessExplorer
Summary: Rising Conflicts in the west, send Alexei (S.S) deep into battle yet again. Can she rebuild the Brotherhood, Can she show she's made of Steel? Or will she bend and break under the strain? Partial Non-Canon. Major Character Death. Please review. Constructive Criticism is welcome. HIATUS IS OVER!
1. Chapter 1

The Commonwealth was finally free of the Institute. In a combined effort between the Minutemen and the Brotherhood of Steel, under the command of Brotherhood Sentinel and General of the Minutemen Alexei Coles, the institute was breached and destroyed by detonating the facilities main power reactor.

Immediately they had set up a watched perimeter around the wreckage of the ruins of C.I.T and Sentinel Coles personally led the scribes through the facility, because she was the only one with prior knowledge to the layout of the facility and because she had wished to truly discover what had fuelled her late son's mad lust for control over the outside world. Knowledge about the operation somehow managed to quickly reach the outside sources, so in an effort to control the media leak, Coles had brought in her best friend, an investigative reporter named Piper Wright and made sure that she was the only one with any access to any new and previously known knowledge. She could write what she liked but had to send it past the Sentinel first. Almost immediately the 'boogeyman' of the commonwealth didn't seem so scary.

The knowledge of the Institutes Director and his connection to the brotherhood Sentinel also quickly became common knowledge but because she still managed to execute her long lost son, in the name of betterment for the Commonwealth, only seemed to strengthen people's opinion about her, as well as add another layer to her now growing legend.

Having reported back to the Castle, The Minuteman's HQ, the Saviour of the Commonwealth, along with her 'adopted' son and her boyfriend, she had been given some long awaited vacation time.


	2. Chapter 2

"So, how do you feel about attending the Saviour's dance along with me this evening, Danse?" She asked the man sitting beside her.

"What? Wouldn't that break my cover? You know, with me being dead and everything? He asked. Alexei just seemed to slump her shoulders and look a bit depressed. Playfully pouting, she turned away from Danse and looked towards Shaun, who was playing with Dogmeat in the castle's courtyard.

Leaning forward, Danse whispered in her ear.

"We can have all the celebrations you want when you get back though."

This seemed to send a shiver down her spine and her mind started racing. A little over a year ago, she had met the man and he had been as straight as a piece of rebar, but after finding out that he was a synth and after being exiled from the Brotherhood, Alexei managed to destroy that outer shell, and permanently position herself in the centre. She loved him and he loved her. He even loved Shaun, who also returned the favour and he also seemed to loosen around Nick and Hancock, Two of Alexei's closest friends, but no one came as close as her best friend Piper. They nearly seemed conjoined at the hips. Danse chuckled slightly at the image growing in his head. Kind of like a Radstag, but of Piper's head up on Alexei's shoulder.

"What's so funny?" Alexei asked, trying to decipher the information from the look in his eyes, but her search seemed futile.

"Oh this and that. Remind me to tell you some other time." He said, rising from his seat. "Now though, it seems that you're wanted somewhere else."

Just as Alexei was about to ask what he was on about, she heard the familiar rumble of the engine of a vertibird. Looking up, she saw one coming in the direction of the Castle, painted a solid Black. She recognised it almost immediately as Maxson's personal transport, Excalibur.

As it began to descend into the castles main courtyard, (they moved the radio mast outside the walls, but kept the radio equipment inside the walls) Alexei dusted off her coat, ran her fingers through her hair and picked up her personal, over modified (In preston's opinion) Laser Musket, /The General's Embrace/.

The side door of the Vertibird slid open and an honour guard of Brotherhood Knights and Paladins disembarked the cramped shuttle before saluting to their Elder, the esteemed Arthur Maxson. Over her arduous campaign, What had first began as a simple tolerance of each other had turned into a close friendship between the two hardened soldiers.

"What's with the honour guard, Arthur?" Alexei asked as she extended her hand, in a polite handshake.

Accepting her handshake, he lifted his arm in the air, giving his bodyguards a signal. Immediately relaxing, every soldier dismounted their armour and seemed to be happy that they were outside the heavy metal armour, especially on a day as hot and humid as it was.

"I'm afraid I have some bad news, Coles" Arthur began. Alexei never knew why but while he never seemed to mind, her calling him by his first name, yet even by request he would never call her by her own first name, always opting for Coles or Sentinel. It used to bother her, but upon realising that she couldn't get him to do it, she just lived and let lived. Turning her attention back to the young Elder, She stood at attention and began to focus again.

"Well, I can't talk about Brotherhood matters out here in the open, so how about you join me on the Excalibur and we go back to the Prydwen? Kell's and the Proctors would also like to speak to you." He said, standing to the side, gesturing for Alexei to go first. "Don't worry, Team Sovereign will stand here and watch over things while you're gone."

"It's Ok Arthur. While I may be a senior officer in the brotherhood, I still have the chain of command to adhere to here in the minutemen as well." Alexei told him. Almost as if she had called him telepathically, Preston arrived out of nowhere, brandishing his cowboy hat and laser musket.

"Don't worry General, We have it all locked down around here." He said smirking.

"Well alright then. Lead the way then, Oh great Elder." Alexei said sarcastically. Trying to keep some modicum of composure, Maxson started heading towards the Vertibird. Only when he was out of immediate reach, did his rare sense of humour poke through and he gave a quiet chuckle.

"I do quite like your sense of humour, Sentinel Coles. May you never change, my friend."

And with that, they climbed into Excalibur and flew away to the Prydwen.


	3. Chapter 3

Alexei hadn't realised just how much she had missed the Prydwen and it's hectic lifestyle. Soldiers stalked the hallways, fingers itching for a fight, Scribes followed Proctor Quinlan, writing down his words like he was reciting scripture, or creating his own. With a man as vain as Quinlan, Alexei seriously wouldn't be surprised.

Maxson had told her that they would be having a briefing in his quarters in an hours time, so she had until then to re-inspect the Prydwen and her crew. He had also told her, rather proudly, that because of her having destroyed the Institute and because she was a well known member of the Brotherhood, that they had received a surge in recruitment and that there was many new faces aboard. She felt a sense of pride that her new Family in Steel were getting stronger. This feeling also surprised her because at first, she merely utilised the Brotherhood as a way to dish out her anger on the world and its many, many flaws. Before the war, she had tried to convince Nate, to leave the army behind him, to stay with her and Shaun, but now she was second in command of a major militia, that had saved her ass on many occasions. And she loved it.

One sour moment though had been the reveal of Danse's real identity. Upon the deciphering of the data that Alexei had retrieved from her infiltration of the Institute, It had been revealed that Danse was in fact a synth. Arthur, in a fit of pure rage at this revelation, had ordered the then Knight Coles, to hunt her mentor (And budding lover) down and to put a bullet in his head. She had kept her composure before Maxson and had promised to follow out his orders, but once she had been outside the constant gaze of the Brotherhood, she momentarily broke down, crying away her worries for the only other decent soul that she had come across at that point in her journeys. She had yet to tell him at that point, but she believed Danse to be the only possible remedy for the loss she felt over the loss of Nate, her late husband.

Upon heeding Haylan's advice, she took down the bunker's defences with reverent ease. She boarded the rickety elevator and steeled herself, expecting a bloody battle to the death between herself and Danse. That's why it surprised her to find him armourless, kneeling on the crumbled concrete floor, in his underwear, asking her to kill him. She almost didn't believe it, that the strong soul that had survived constant hardship, had practically crumbled in front of her, begging for death. She refused to kill him however, and she bent down and embraced him deeply, feeling his brunette locks, gracefully brush against her face. He begged for death, calling himself a monster, an abomination. Something that shouldn't even exist. Eventually she convinced him to put on some clothes and she pulled a tattered old flannel shirt and a pair of jeans from her bag, turning away to give him some privacy as he got dressed. Then dragging him by the collar of his shirt, she brought him topside to stand up tall in the world that he had tried to avoid. As soon as she had stood outside though, she saw a Vertibird parked nearby. Solid Black. Excalibur.

Maxson's anger had only seemed to intensify when he saw Danse. He shouted at them, spouting accusations and curses, again comparing Danse to nothing but a monster and an abomination. That had been the last straw and then Alexei in a fit of rage all her own, had shown Arthur all the good that Danse had done in the name of the Brotherhood, how he had been so high praising towards him when she had just met him and how he had nearly cared for the Elder as though they were brothers. In the end, Maxson had calmed down and had only exiled Danse from the Brotherhood, leaving him his life, and had told Alexei that she was to meet him aboard the Prydwen as soon as possible. Ever since, due to the fact that it was no longer a matter of infatuation between a senior officer and his subordinate, he had taken up a room in the Castle and their relationship had really begun to take off.

Heading for Maxson's Quarters, Alexei had bumped into Proctor Ingram who was also headed for the meeting. While Teagan was a creep and Quinlan was a self obsessed hypochondriac, Ingram was simply a grease monkey, someone who was familiar with the smaller cogs that made up the Brotherhoods foundation and in Alexei's early days, the two had established a solid friendship, as well as a common interest in all things mechanical.

"Hey Ingram! How is the excavation going?" Alexei asked while leaning against the cold steel wall beside the door to Maxson's quarters.

"Very well in fact. Everyday we find more tech that surpassed even the advanced systems that we have here aboard the Prydwen. I wouldn't be lying if I said that I'm a bit jealous of the Institutes brains. If it's any consolation though, You should be proud of your boy and the tech that he was able to create down there." She said. Looking down, Alexei's shoulders slumped.

"Thanks. I try to think about all the good that they could have done, but still those bastards twisted his mind, warped his sense of morality and taught him that there was no such thing as the line that should not be crossed, just go further and further, to hell with the consequences, that it's just the results that matter. It was when he referred to his father as /Collateral Damage/ that I knew there was no way in fixing what had been done. So I swallowed any maternal instinct I had to save him and I ended his life with same pistol that had taken his father. Kellogg's Beloved .44 Magnum." She said as she pulled it from it's holster, admiring it and swirling it on her finger, before replacing it in it's holster.

"Well, all things aside, I'm happy that this bloody conflict is finally over. While I make the rare exception in regard to Synths, to hell with the 'Railroad' and their obsessive nattering about Synths being slaves. They would bitch and moan that using Synths was wrong, but did they fight in the mud alongside their brothers and sisters, watching them die for a cause that is in no way comparable to that of a human beings life... I'm sorry about that but if I was with you when you destroyed those Synth-loving Fucks, I'd have brought along 'Big Bertha'. Ingram added with a mischievous smile.

"Whose 'Big Bertha'?" Alexei asked, genuinely interested in the answer.

"'Big Bertha' is my baby. An experimental Mini-Nuke Launcher capable of breaking standard Mini-Nuke Shells down into eight smaller, yet equally as powerful, Mini-Nuke Projectiles. It would have wiped that Church off the face of this green, irradiated earth." Ingram answered. Alexei seemed quite amazed, but before they could continue the conversation, the door to Maxson's quarters swung open to reveal the Elder, who for once was without his trademark battle coat and seemed to be half way through cleaning and neatening up his wild beard.

"Hello there Coles. Ingram. What are you waiting outside my Quarters for?" He asked, sounding genuinely caught off guard.

"Well sir, It's been an hour since we've returned to the Prydwen. I hate being tardy, so I reported to your Quarters for the Briefing you mentioned earlier." Alexei reported. Again, Maxson looked confused. He shut the door, to which Alexei, stared in Ingram's direction, to which she replied with a shrug of her shoulders. Then the door opened again. Maxson stood there, still half shaven, looking slightly embarrassed.

"It seems I did not watch the time. You did as you were asked Coles, and for that I thank you. Now as I must finish what I started, could you please go and gather Proctor Teagan and Proctor Quinlan and I shall be ready when you return." He asked.

"Of course Arthur." She replied before saluting and pivoting on her heels, walking in the opposite direction. Then Maxson turned to Ingram, who stared at him silently. Feeling the tension build, he said

"Thank you Proctor, you may wait outside until the briefing begins." And he shut the door.

A short while later, Alexei sat in an armchair in the corner of the room, whilst Teagan, Ingram and Quinlan stood at the sides of the pool table that took up the centre of the Elder's Quarters. Before them, at the head of the room stood Arthur who cleared his throat before starting.

"We need to leave the Commonwealth"


	4. Chapter 4

"What?!" Alexei asked in a state of genuine astonishment. Staring around the room, she recognised the same look on Ingram's face, while Quinlan and Teagan stayed rather impassive. Alexei rose from her seat and walked up towards Maxson, looking for an answer. He simply lifted his hand about shoulder height and she stood back, leaving him to continue.

"We must leave the Commonwealth temporarily as there are conflicts rising in the West, by Hoover Dam in New Vegas. Elder McNamara sent a message to the Council asking for aid against a battle coming from Robert House and his new right hand man, a Mojave Express courier named William Turner. Now though, I'm not bringing everyone along, otherwise all the hard work that we've done here in the Commonwealth could be undone in a short few hours, so Sentinel Coles will stay here along with a small platoon of Soldiers and Scribes and I will also allow her the use of a Vertibird. She will lead the Eastern Chapter in my absence as she will be the highest ranking officer present. Teagan and Quinlan will stay here aboard the Prydwen and Ingram will report to Coles as she continues the excavation of the Institute." He explained. The information seemed to sit well with everyone until Alexei spoke up.

"How could Robert House still be alive? He was a crazy entrepreneur back in my time and I hear that he hated the idea of being put in a vault, fighting Vault-Tec with any attempt that they had, concerning the construction of vaults, anywhere near his beloved Las Vegas."

"Reports suggest that House connected himself to his central computer at the top floor of the Lucky 38 Casino along the strip and turned his conscious mind into a fully sentient A.I, so that could explain his existence. Turns out he hired Turner for a job at first but offered him the position as his partner shortly after. Turner has been either hiring factions to his growing army or destroying the ones who get in his way. The Council want him dealt with immediately." Arthur replied.

Turning to address the Proctors, he raised his arm to his chest, in the Brotherhood's salute and said "Ad Victorium". As the Proctors and Alexei replied with the same salute, he told them that they were dismissed, but called Alexei back as she went to leave. When they were alone, he handed her a small tumbler of brandy, and sat down on the grimy couch that stood in the corner of the room, alongside his bed.

"You seem worried Coles, what's the matter" he asked, sipping his own drink.

"Thank you for trusting me to lead the Brotherhood while you're gone, but do you really believe that the soldiers will really listen to 'the woman outta time'?" Alexei asked, looking unsure of herself.

While Maxson was usually tight lipped and serious, his laugh was so loud and so sudden, It boomed throughout the small living space. She had to admit, the guy surprised her at times. Now though, he sat there on the couch, laughing loudly.

"You stare down Deathclaws at the end of your gun barrel, You tackle super mutants in your Power Armour and you keep the Everyman safe from harm with the aid of your Minuteman soldiers, but it's running the Brotherhood that has you this terrified? I must say Coles, you are an interesting character." Maxson said, nearly ending up spilling his drink all over himself.

After he had gained some composure over himself, he wiped a tear from his eyes and clearing his throat, he added.

"Don't worry Coles, You're as much a walking legend around here as I am. They'll listen to you and they'll do as you ask. They respect you but you must make sure that they know that you respect them as well. A leader is only as strong as his weakest links. I don't know why I'm explaining all this to you though, given how you already lead the biggest voluntary civilian militia in the entire Commonwealth."

"Thank you Arthur... That means a lot." Alexei said, raising her arm to her chest, she said "Ad Victorium Elder. May Steel be with you"

"Ad Victorium Sister"


	5. Chapter 5

The Airport looked bare in comparison to how it usually did. Only a few barricades, some sentry turrets as well as a few traps where left behind. Alexei looked around at the space that seemed foreign and then glanced up at the almighty airship overhead.

"This would definitely depress Danse, no matter if he was still a member or not. Sure hell, it's even depressing me and I'm currently in charge."She thought to herself.

While she was deep in contemplation, she never realised that the Elder had shown up behind her. She snapped out of her daydream, when he tapped her on her shoulder. It was a little embarrassing though, because her instincts kicked in and she had a strong right hand clasped around his throat, only letting go after her brain had acknowledged who it was. Dropping her right hand to her side, she lifted her left hand to her temple, giving Maxson a pre-war salute, one she had always seen Nate pull before the flag every morning when they woke up. Maxson only replied with a light chuckle, and had lifted his hand to his throat, hoping to ease the sudden discomfort.

"I'm sorry Arthur, but you of all people should know not to give a soldier a fright. I could have seriously harmed you. Are you ok?" She asked, concerned about her friend.

She didn't really know how he felt about her and he probably didn't know about, or want to know about her relationship with Danse, but after they became more comfortable around each other, she noticed some light flirting coming her way from the Elder, but she hadn't the heart to rebuke it. She only replied in shows of concern, or in a show of support. She felt bad about it but she could never return his shows of affection.

"Sorry about that Sentinel, but I just came to inform you that we would be departing soon and I just want to make sure that you haven't any unanswered questions. Any come to mind?" He asked.

Again in deep contemplation, she thought of everything. The locations, the passwords and the basic command structure she all knew, but what had he actually left her to command? That as the only missing link in her mind. Turning to face the Elder, she asked

"What exactly have I been left with Arthur?"

He looked at her for a moment. It wasn't as though he was letting her borrow his car, or whatever the pre-war saying was. She was to stand as the leader of these brave soldiers and scribes and she had already forgotten what he had told her already in a previous briefing. If he wasn't such good friends with her, he'd almost feel as though the Eastern Chapter's reputation in the Commonwealth was doomed, but he had seen her commanding the Minutemen before and had seen just how good she was in the position.

"Coles? That is obviously a joke right?! I went through all this already with you. I left you with one Vertibird, designation Bastion. She's one of the older models, but she's stubborn and will work if you keep a good eye on her. Knight Rys and Scribe Haylen will stay here to aid Proctor Ingram, Lancer Cadet Richter will pilot Bastion and you've command over a twelve man crew of Initiates, Knights and Scribes. I've already had them informed to meet you at the Castle, so I recommend that you head over soon. Don't worry, You won't be in charge for long. Once the Prydwen shows up on the battlefield, even robots will cower from the obvious superior power of the Brotherhood of Steel. Ad Victorium Sister. May Steel guard you and guide you." He said as he banged his right arm against his chest.

Smiling brightly, he pivoted on his heel and walked over to Excalibur, that seemed to still be parked on the Airport's aged tarmac. He climbed aboard, turned around to face Alexei and gave her a mischievous wink. Just as he slammed the door shut, he heard,

"Ad Victorium Elder! Good Luck".

It was then that he decided that if he got back from this, that he'd tell her how he actually felt about her. This seemed to get his heart pumping and his sparks flying. He made himself a promise and felt determined to return. As Excalibur rejoined with the Prydwen, Alexei looked as the mighty engines roared to life and watched in absolute amazement as the zeppelin lifted higher and higher and then departed, far past the horizon.

"Right then. First stop, the Listening Post" Alexei told herself. She had to inform someone.


	6. Chapter 6

Danse, being the naturally born survivor that he was, had fallen back to the Listening Post, in fear of being caught by the Brotherhood personnel that had reported to the Castle yesterday. He had no contact with Alexei since and he really missed her. He didn't know when she had managed to get so deep in his head but now he didn't want her to leave. He wanted to hold her close and feel her slightly smaller figure up against his chest. No one had ever had this amount of hold over him since Cutler, but he didn't want to think of Cutler now. That particular set of memories hurt like absolute hell.

He walked around the bunker. It's defences had been improved significantly since Alexei had demanded it and now she had it fitted with motion sensors, stronger, more sophisticated turrets as well as robotic bodyguards and cameras. While past all the defences, it still looked like the grubby old bunker, it was now near impossible for anyone to survive long enough to find that out. He looked over to the glistening suit of X-01 power armour that stood in the corner like some silent guardian. He had been overjoyed when he found it here among the wreckage of the bunker, when he had first discovered it with Haylan, but since Alexei had asked him to shed the hard outer shell, he only donned the suit in dire situations.

Suddenly, the rapid beeping of an alarm pulled him from his thoughts and he ran to the monitors. It was Alexei. He knew that she willingly pulled the motion sensor to let him know that she had arrived. If anyone could avoid them, it was her. Her superior agility, coupled with the fact that she knew where they all were as well as the fact that she had installed them all combined to form the situation that Danse hated the most. Never knowing when she could strike or pounce on him. Deactivating the security measures, he saw her wink towards the camera feed and saunter into the welcoming elevator. She seemed to arrive as fast as she disappeared from the feed.

"Welcome to my humble abode. What brings you here?" Danse asked, whilst smirking and gesturing to the mounds of crumbled concrete and rubbish that lay around him. Alexei laughed. Danse had come to love that laugh. It was genuine, real and heartwarming. Danse knew that if anything in his fabricated life was real, it was the love he felt towards her. He felt empowered around her. As though he could accomplish anything.

"I suppose you heard about the Brotherhood being relocated?" She asked.

"No... What? Did something happen?" He asked concerned about the coming answer. Alexei admired that about the disgraced Paladin. While he had been abandoned by the Brotherhood, he wouldn't stand by while a Brother or Sister was in need of help or wouldn't allow any to speak ill of his beloved Order. While Alexei loved everything about the Brotherhood, she knew that they were practically his family. And you can never turn away from family.

"No, but the majority of the Order is currently headed west to New Vegas. Rising conflicts and a request from Elder McNamara had them all temporarily repositioned by the Council to aid in the battle effort. Maxson put me in charge around here until he gets back as I'm the current highest ranking member around here. Rys and Haylin are still around, as is Proctor Ingram. They're investigating the Institute. I've command over another twelve Brotherhood members. Mostly Initiates and Scribes." She told him. He stared at her for a minute, dumbfounded.

"Arthur put you in charge?"

Suddenly he put his hand to his chest and dropped down on one leg, bowing before the now confused acting Elder.

"What are you doing Danse?" She asked, rather confused.

"Respect must be shown before the Elder at all times. I'm just following protocol, Elder Coles" He replied, still looking towards the floor.

"Would you stand up! I'm only acting Elder and even still if I was Elder, I only want my compatriots to bow before me if they wanted to, not have them feel they have to." She said, while helping Danse stand up. "By the way, it's just Alexei and I need you at the Castle, so lock this place down and meet me up top." She added, planting a sweet kiss on his cheek and heading for the elevator.

When she had left, Danse stood there and thought for a minute. He closed his eyes and in his mind, imagined Alexei as the new Elder of the Brotherhood. She had the authoritative stance and presence about her and Danse wouldn't want to see what happens to her enemies, but then he thought about that if she was to be given the position, would their future be over. Surely the Elder of the Eastern Chapter of the Brotherhood of Steel couldn't be seen fraternising with the enemy. It would be terrible for morale. Anyway then he put the thoughts out of his head and headed topside to see Alexei going through her inventory, trying to source something. Suddenly her arm went up in a show of triumph. There she stood with a packet of Dandy Boy cakes and two bottles of Gwinnett Stout Beer. Smiling brightly, she acknowledged his presence.

"Brought some snacks for the road." She said, handing Danse a bottle of the popular beer. "Now let's get going. We have to hurry if we plan to get back before nightfall."


	7. Chapter 7

Life on the road back to the castle would have been silent if not for the near constant interruptions. Not five minutes from the Listening Post, Radio Freedom was lit up like the Fourth of July, talking about how three different settlements were currently under attack from Raiders. Instantly going into her new combination of Brotherhood Elder and Minutemen General, she ordered Danse to go around the nearest of the three settlements and scope out the action. He followed orders and quickly ran off, clutching his bolt-action rifle close to his chest.

While initially favouring laser weaponry, Alexei had crafted him a 50. Calibar Bolt-Action Sniper Rifle. While he was surprised by the gift at first, telling her that he preferred the Brotherhood's lasers, with the addition of a suppressor, it had saved him countless times when he needed to get away. It has not left his shoulder since. Outside of Alexei herself, there is nothing in this life he treasured more. Within a few minutes, he reached a position on the hill outside Greentop Nursery. Lying prone, he looked through his recon scope, the advanced targeting computer seeming foreign atop the rifle.

"Hello? Alexei? Can you hear me?" He spoke into the radio he had positioned on his wrist. Only static answered for a while, until Alexei's familiar voice came through.

"Loud and Clear! So, what are we dealing with? It's Raiders, isn't it. It's always the damned Raiders" She asked. Danse resumed scanning the farmhouse. It was definitely Raiders, but they seemed different. Almost new.

"It's raiders alright, but they seem to be a new group. Definitely no one I've had the pleasure of killing. They're focused on the farmhouse, but they have a perimeter watch as well. I'd recommend being very careful." He said, eyes not leaving the scope.

"I'm always careful. Anyway I'm over to the North, positioned behind a rusting wreck of a pick-up. Anyone nearby?" She asked.

Danse, looking over towards her position, activated the night vision scanner. Each and every one of them lit up the farmhouse like some kind of deranged set of string lights. He focused and observed.

"There's one by your position, leaning against the side of the house. Seems to have his back turned towards you. If you're going to engage him, do it now and do so silently." He warned her.

He heard no reply and began to worry. He knew that it was pointless though when he heard the familiar thud of a corpse and looked over to see the silhouette that as previously leaning against the house was now laying on the floor, slowly turning blue. He admired her skill, then proceeded to call her again over the radio.

"Don't worry Danse. This ain't my first rodeo, you know." She said.

He presumed that she probably had a smirk on her face after that remark. He definitely knew how she carried herself through a fight though, because recently he found that he can't take his eyes off the woman. Her presence screams fear to her enemies and hope to her allies. Even in dire situations, she moves with elegance and grace, slicing through her foes without a single strand of hair going out of place. She was beautiful and he would protect her till the end of his days. He came out of his daydream when he heard the sound of a shotgun being cocked. Snapping back to attention, he heard the whole thing.

"Look at what we have here boys! The famous General of the minutemen, the Commonwealth's saviour, The 'woman outta time'! The fucking bitch got Billy and Vince. How about we repay the favour? We could all take a piece of her back to the hideout as a trophy.." He heard one say.

All of a sudden, his blood began to boil. He felt a harsh contraction in his chest and he felt as though he should charge the group, to hell with tactics. His brain said stay, while his heart said charge. He decided though, to take his brains advice and he wiped a lone tear from his cheek. He felt useless and it tore him up inside. Suddenly he regained his focus when he heard a single word. Guardian.

When they had first started travelling together, they would often help each other get out of tricky situations. There was one such occasion when they had made a crucial rule between them. If a specific word is ever mentioned and the other is able to help, it is a live fire situation and that the other person is in dire need of help. They decided on Guardian because that is essentially what either person is when it comes down to it.

He targeted the head of the bastard that had himself positioned over Alexei, watching as he lightly dragged his knife across her face, and beginning to trail it down her arms.

"Rest in hell, you bastard!" He said, as he pulled the trigger, sending the large calibar bullet sailing through the sky, completely obliterating the first Raiders head.

He heard exclamations of mass confusion, followed by shots ringing out into the hillside. While he easily dodged their offensive, he could only hope that Alexei was ok. Then the shots into the hillside stopped and he looked down to see Alexei standing over the raiders clutching a sawn-off Shotgun, heaving deeply. Danse stood up and walked towards her. It was only when he got close that the shotgun feel from her arms and she collapsed. He ran to her, holding her pale body in his arms. He rummaged around her pack but of course she had no stimpaks with her. He grabbed her flare gun and fired it into the air, hoping that there was some settlement nearby that would help. He would have asked the settlement that they had just saved for help, but upon quick inspection, he saw that the raiders had already killed the settlers. Observing her wounds, he deduced that the knife marks must be deeper than he thought because they had yet to cease bleeding. Beginning to really panic, he removed the t-shirt he was wearing and ripped it down the middle. Wrapping and tying the strands at the top of her arm, he tied them tight, making them into tourniquets. He held her close to preserve her body temperature. He didn't realise when he had started again, but he sobbed silently as he awaited aid. Leaning in closely, he whispered

"Please be ok. I love you, you know... I Love you!"


	8. Chapter 8

*Some several hundred miles away, Near reformed New Vegas, Nevada.

Aboard the Prydwen, life resumed as normal. Quinlan was stuck reading the crates of Technical Documents that Sentinel Coles had procured for him, Teagan was hitting on the female officers and of course, Ingram was no where to be seen as she was still back in the Commonwealth. While life was normal enough, everyone was on edge as Elder Maxson had risen the (DEFCON) to OMEGA, meaning every soul aboard the ship must be battle ready on a minutes notice. The higher ranking officers were patrolling around, trying to occupy themselves while the Initiates and the knights, where all either in the barracks or just pacing the long halls, their collective trigger fingers all feeling that common addictive itch.

Below, on the command deck, Maxson stood in his usual perch, looking down upon the roaming sands of the Mojave desert. One day he'd like to come to New Vegas and go gambling, meandering through the halls of the ultra bright casinos, leaving a trail of cap less machines and settlers in his wake, but he knew that as long as he was Elder, he couldn't go anywhere off ship unaccompanied as there was a target the size of the Prydwen, permanently stamped on his back. Sighing at his near complete lack of freedom and privacy, he was pulled from his daydreams by the voice of Lancer-Captain Kells. Standing at attention, saluting he addressed the Elder.

"We are approximately 10 miles from Hoover Dam Elder. We are noticeable to the enemy at this distance but far enough away that they can't mount an offensive against us."

"Thank you Richard. Keep this distance and see if the long range scanners can be used to scout the location for any useful tactical advice, like choke points or such. Also try and contact the local chapter. I wish to talk to Elder McNamara." Maxson said, slightly depressingly.

Kells nodded in acknowledgment, pivoting on his heel and walking away for a few seconds before returning.

"Permission to speak freely Elder?" He asked. Maxson nodded his approval. Putting his hand on Maxson's shoulder, he asked.

"What's with the use of my first name, Arthur? Are you ok? Do you wish for me to send for Knight-Captain Cade?"

"It's just that the fight can sometimes get beaten out of you, when all you do is fight. I'd like to come here to Vegas next time, I have shore leave, yet I know that even if I ask my protectors to stay aboard the Prydwen, they have to abide the tenets of the Brotherhood and that means they have to protect me at all times. I just wish that at times, I could stop being Elder Maxson and just be Arthur Maxson, even for just one hour... Anyway, thank you for listening. I'm alright now. I just had to get that off my chest." Maxson said. Immediately his posture straightened and the depressed look on his face was replaced by that of a strict, yet fair Brotherhood Elder. Looking at Kells, he said.

"Now report back to your station Lancer-Captain. I expect contact from McNamara within ten minutes."

"Right away Elder Maxson" he said, again bringing his arm across his chest as a sign of respect to the Elder. Maxson returned the salute and went back to observing the desert through his window. Suddenly he heard a cackling of electricity and he turned around to receive a power fist to the face, knocking him down. He looked up to view the face of his attacker. It was William Turner. Clutching his hand to his now broken nose, he watched as two paladins in T-60 power armour marched up to the attacker, pointing two equally vicious looking mini-guns in his direction. What surprised him though was Turner's speed for his size. In the blink of an eye, he stabbed both soldiers with a small spike. Catching them off guard, they didn't know what to expect and he stood back and watched as both soldiers were consumed in vicious strikes of electricity. They screamed in pain and after a painful few minutes, they crumbled to the floor, the shock having destroyed the servos inside the suit as well as the soldiers main nerve systems. Maxson looked up at him, staring daggers.

"Turner! -What possibly allowed you to assault my ship!"- Maxson shouted at him, white blinding fury building behind his eyes.

Turner turned around and bent down to be eye level with the disgruntled Elder. He pulled a small pistol like object out of his pocket. He pointed it at Maxson.

"Handheld teleportation device. When you save the think tank of Big MT, they become quite generous with their tech. I only had to ask and they willingly gave it up." He said, in a suave and yet sadistic tone. "Now if you fine gentlemen don't mind, I've set up an extravagant pyrotechnic display and I'd love to see it, so I have to leave. I doubt you'd like it though." He added as he stood up.

Turner stood before Maxson and with a mischievous smile, disappeared in a flash of blue light, just as fast as he had arrived. Maxson stood up and walked over to the two paladins. Laying his finger on their necks, he confirmed that they were in fact dead. Swearing silently to himself, he sat down on a couch and within mere seconds, Cade had appeared before him. As Cade was bandaging his nose, Kells came up from the drive deck and just as he was about to speak, klaxons all over the ship began to blare and scream. Maxson stared at Kells looking for an answer, but before he could, a beam of powerful energy tore through the Prydwen. Then suddenly all was consumed in darkness.


	9. Chapter 9

*Back in the Commonwealth. Taffington Boathouse.

Alexei awoke in a soft bed. Her head was heavy and her body weak. She looked around, trying to make sense of where she was. She saw familiar sights, for example, her personal suit of T-60F power armour, hanging in its display case in the corner and the obvious signs of a repaired rooftop high above her head. It was then she knew that she was at Taffington Boathouse. Then she remembered what happened before she passed out. Bolting up straight, she winced in pain as rested muscles were forced to stretch and she put a hand to her temple to ease her pounding headache. Once the pain subsided, she swung her legs out from underneath the blanket and took another look around her. It was then that she saw Danse, sitting on a chair, his rifle in hand and himself sleeping soundly. Slowly she rose onto weak knees and walked slowly over to Danse, tapping him on the shoulder.

"Hey, Danse. Wake up.. It's daylight Soldier!" She said. She watched his eyes flutter open slowly and then in a speed that definitely defied physics, he scooped her up off the ground and hugged her close to his chest.

"Oh Thank God! Oh Alexei, you hand me so worried... I thought you were dead or comatose or whatever! You've been asleep for three days!" Danse said, traces of panic, relief and obvious overexcitement clear in his tone of voice.

"Three Days! No wonder I feel so bloody stiff. I feel as though someone replaced my spinal cord with reinforced steel. Anyway, how did we get here to Taffington?" She asked, whilst heading for the stairs.

Danse rose from his chair and followed suit. Alexei looked around, the boathouse was empty except for herself and Danse. She looked outside. Not a soul. She seemed to relax at this revelation, but it must have been more obvious than she anted it to seem, as Danse asked what had her so bothered in the first place.

"It's just that we never seem to have "us" time anymore, Patrick. Back at the castle, we have Preston, Settlements in need of aid and while I love him dearly, now we also have Shaun. Maybe I could be "sick" for a few days. Make some "us" time." She told him.

Sitting down on a reasonably clean couch. She grabbed the grubby blanket that lay on the back of it and draped it over her shoulders. Patting the seat next to her, she beckoned Danse to come over and sit beside her. He abided the instructions willingly and cuddled in close, wrapping what blanket she'd spare across his own shoulders. They lay there, in each others arms, staring at the fire dancing in the hearth. There was nothing but peace, quiet and for once total silence. Alexei looked to Danse.

"You never actually answered my question earlier. How did we actually get here to the boathouse?" She asked.

"Well, after you passed out, I grabbed your flare gun from your pack and upon firing a shot into the air, I made two tourniquets out of the fabric of my shirt. Thankfully after a short time, a minuteman patrol arrived and upon seeing your horrible state, they administered some medical aid. We were going to stay at Greentop, but a rad-storm was on the horizon, so together we moved you down here. Thankfully the defences you had up, deactivated once we brought you close. I'm impressed because I'm pretty sure a deathclaw wouldn't survive the onslaught from the amount of turrets you have positioned outside. Anyway, once we put you to bed upstairs, The minutemen departed and I thanked them for their help. I asked them to pass a message to Preston to let him know that you'd be back at the castle once you're healed." He said, slightly out of breath. Alexei stared into his eyes. His deep brown eyes. In there she saw loyalty, passion, love and a bond crafted from steel. She saw the flames dancing in his irises. She took her pip-boy off her arm and tuned into Diamond City radio. The familiar voice of Travis filled the air and Alexei leaned over a placed a long, gentle kiss on Danse's lips. This seemed to catch him off guard and a blush was visible, creeping into his cheeks. Just then 'Happy Times' began to play. Danse immediately rose up, and leaning towards Alexei asked;

"Please Ms. Coles, may I have the pleasure of the next dance?"

Now it was Alexei's time to blush. She sheepishly put her hand in Danse's and slowly, he helped her up onto her feet. Alexei lay her head on Danse's chest and he connected his hands across her back and together, they just slowly danced in circles for the remainder of the song, as well as for the length of three more. Not a single word mentioned but the atmosphere was all the conversation they needed. Once the fourth song ended, Alexei turned off her wrist-mounted radio and once again stood in Danse's embrace.

Looking up, they looked deep into each others souls, telling each other that they would be there for each other up until either of them died, And even then, it wouldn't keep them apart. Leaning in, they shared a passionate kiss. The earth stopped spinning, and the damage around them faded out and became nonexistent.. just for that shared moment between them. They parted after a few minutes, just for the secondary pleasure of filing their empty lungs with irradiated air. Just as they were about to continue however, there was a sharp knock struck against the door. Breaking the moment, Alexei wrapped the blanket back around her shoulders and stared in Danse's direction, her expression marked with a single question;

"Where you expecting anyone?"

Danse replied with the retrieval of his high-caliber rifle and an honest shrug of his shoulders. Once Danse was ready, Alexei answered the door. Who stood in the doorway, she had no idea, but he was wearing power armour coloured solid black and seemed to be accompanied by two similar soldiers. They all had a familiar insignia stamped upon their armour torso's however. That of the Brotherhood of Steel. Alexei looked over her shoulder and noticed that Danse had already gone back into the shadows. Turning her attention now to the three in front of her, she began to question them.

"Who are you? Why are you here?" She asked the soldier standing in-front of her.

"Are you Alexei Coles, Sentinel of the Eastern Chapter of the Brotherhood of Steel? He asked back.

"Yes.. I am. Again, why do you ask? Who are you?" She asked.

"Knight Captain Drake Mullins Ma'am. It's an honour to be standing before the woman who single handedly destroyed the Institute. I've been sent here to retrieve you and have you brought to the Citadel in D.C. It is of the utmost importance. It's a direct order from the High Elder himself. I recommend you get into your battle dress Ma'am. You've to report to a briefing." He said, while holding a constant salute.

Alexei had to admit that she was a little worried that the High Elder had sent for her, but she agreed to go along. She told the Knights that she be out in a minute, that she was only getting dressed. She closed the door. She walked upstairs and grabbed her black Brotherhood Officer uniform that she always kept in her pack. Once the uniform had been completely fastened, she walked back downstairs and quickly scrawled a note for Danse.

Dear Patrick,

Sorry that I had to bug out on our 'Us' time, but the Brotherhood need me in D.C. Be back a.s.a.p but could you please head back to the castle and inform Preston. Mind Shaun please.

Love, Alexei.

Heading for the door, she grabbed her bomber jacket. Once she stood outside, she headed for the Vertibird that was standing in a patch of grass some bit down that road. Climbing aboard, she said.

"Let's head to D.C!"


	10. Chapter 10

The journey to D.C was relatively quiet. Only the occasional mumble between Alexei and the other soldiers aboard the Vertibird. The occasional glance between them as well was useful for filling up the waiting time. As Alexei sat there going over her own rifle, similar to the one she made Danse, she nearly jumped when the Lancer-Cadet announced that there were only about 10 minutes away from the Citadel.

The Citadel looked a lot taller than she had remembered Danse describing. The walls nearly blocked out the sun from any position on the grounds, Sentry turrets dotted the walls every few metres apart and there was clear evidence of the occupying force everywhere. The one shocking feature though was just how quiet it was. The sheer lack of Brotherhood members around was astounding. Joining her hands behind her back, she slowly sauntered around the grounds, her eyes slowly going over everything around her. She noticed the few soldiers that were around however, seemed to study her and observe her carefully. Feeling uneasy, she decided to join Knight-Captain Mullins on the centre courtyard. He had gotten out of his power armour and now Alexei could notice more of his features. He was medium build, and just about Alexei's height. He stood before his armour, eating something.

"So Mullins, what are you eating?" Alexei asked. She seemed to frighten him as his Dandy Boy apple soared into the air, but Alexei caught it before the Knight's treat ended up on the floor.

"Oh ma'am! Didn't see you there, but you know. Just a required energy boost. We all need the sugar after all... May I have that back though please." He said, gesturing towards the small half eaten snack. Alexei handed it back and smiled to him. She liked Mullins, he seemed to be a little more lax than the other Knights she had come to know.

Before the conversation could really get interesting however, a tall scribe dressed in red robes walked over to Alexei and asked her to accompany her inside. It was time for her audience with the High Elder. They passed security checkpoints that were unmanned, half-made bunks and it all seemed to have a mysterious and yet depressing atmosphere about it. As Alexei was brought before two grand doors, she saw the symbols of the Brotherhood, carefully etched into the solid oak. The scribe wouldn't so much as cough or talk to Alexei and it really seemed to unsettle her. Just as the doors began to creak open however, Alexei just seemed to slip into her Sentinel Coles persona and she walked in, each step clearly showing her grace and authority.

Alexei walked in and the doors were closed behind her. After ward a brazier was lit in the centre of the room and then a man emerged from the shadows, bearing a strange resemblance to Elder Maxson. He looked old, wise but he also had Arthur's similar permanent scowl. He had sharp green eyes and they seemed to be trying to bore a hole in Alexei's resolve.

"Greetings Sentinel Coles. I believe that you are the only person in quite a while to hold such a prestigious title. The only one before you being my Grandson, Arthur." He said. Alexei instantly made the connection.

"So you're Elder Maxson's grandfather.. The High Elder."She asked.

"That is correct." He nodded. Alexei thought she was crazy but she was almost certain that she saw pain and anguish dancing in his eyes. He was certainly afraid for Arthur's safety.

"I am High Elder Percival Maxson." He added. "I have called you here today however due to a very serious problem. As you know, Arthur and the majority of the Eastern chapter headed, aboard the Prydwen, to Hoover Dam to assist with the growing conflicts in the West? Well yesterday, we received horrible news that the Prydwen was supposedly shot down by William Turner, using the Archimedes II assault satellite." He said; "I am ordering you to lead a recon team to New Vegas and you are to inspect the crash site. Record and bring back any useful information you find. I must repeat however, that this is a black list mission. Apart from what you bring with you, you'll receive no aid and if you are captured, there will be no rescue. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal sir. Who will be accompanying me westward?" Alexei asked.

"Knights Mullins and Reddington. You've already met Mullins. I'm nearly certain you'll love Reddington. God knows she adores you..." The High Elder replied, his tone vicious and sharp. "I expect a report on my desk within 72 hours."

Saluting, Alexei turned around and left the room. Heading for the armoury, she retrieved her rifle plus a full pack of fusion cells, ballistic ammunition, stimpaks and bandages. Slinging it over her shoulder, Alexei headed back out into the courtyard. Once again, she spotted Mullins rather quickly, but this time he was talking to a slightly shorter woman, who was clutching a combat shotgun and had the clear impression of a 9mm handgun hanging on her hip, underneath her rather loose fitting armour. As Alexei got closer, Mullins realised and his hand quickly flew up in respect for the senior officer. It went up too fast however, which was obvious when he practically slapped himself on the forehead, earning a smirk from Alexei and a loud hardy laugh from the still unknown soldier. Mullins looked at the other soldier with disdain.

"Jess! That's Sentinel Coles! You know the hero of the Commonwealth.. Currently the highest ranking officer on the entire eastern chapter." He said, his hand still held high in salute. In a display of speed that would make even a deathclaw blush, the energetic young knight pivoted on her heel and bear hugged the Sentinel. Catching her by surprise, Alexei dropped her pack and just hung here captured in Jess' embrace. It was only when Mullins' digged Jess in the arm that Alexei seemed to snap out of the incredibly forward action and demanded that she be put down.

"Put me down right now Knight! That is a massive breach of protocol, but I'll leave it go this time. Clear slate." Alexei said, her tone final and authoritative. Jess put her down, stepped back and hung her head.

"I'm really sorry ma'am. It's just that you're the whole reason I joined the Brotherhood. I hate the Institute, the railroad and their stupid notion that synths should have freedom. My father had been replaced with a synth and I had to watch as he shot my mother in front of the family one night. I was forced to put him down. My sister ran away that night and I couldn't stay there. It hurt like a stab wound. I left her a note, in case she would ever return but I vowed that I'd get revenge and until I do, I will lay waste to any enemy of the Brotherhood." Jess said.

Alexei looked her down, evaluating Jess in her mind, making sure that her excitability wouldn't be a liability but rather an asset to the team as a whole. Feeling bad for the young knight, she placed a reassuring hand on her shoulders. Jess lifted her head.

Alexei believed heavily in the old proverb 'The eyes are the gateway to the soul' and in Jess' eyes she could see a burning passion to prove her worth and the intent to avenge her father.

"Right then. Recon team Icarus, Suit up and gear up. Meet me at the Vertibird pad in twenty minutes. Prepare for stealth and leave the power armour behind Mullins. We're going on a black list mission." She said.

Immediately, Jess seemed to change. Her frown turned into a beaming smile and she practically skipped away to the armoury. Before Mullins left however, Alexei pulled him aside.

"Make sure she gets refitted for armour, Knight. It looks as though her armour's about to fall off." She said. Mullins nodded in acknowledgement and walked off in the same direction as Jess. Alexei then headed for Vertibird command, hoping to find someone to fly them so far West.


	11. Chapter 11

Alexei sat in the front, alongside Lancer-Sergeant Newark, looking out upon the irradiated remains of the USA. They were flying in a refitted Vertibird, One fitted for long distance flying as it didn't have the luxury of being docked aboard the Prydwen. She then looked behind her, at the two soldiers placed in her command. They were chatting away like old friends and all that Alexei could think of was of Shaun and Danse, all stuck behind in the Commonwealth. She would welcome Danse's tight embrace, not caring about the repercussions of her actions. It wasn't wrong to miss the people you loved, in fact most people would see that as being normal, showing emotions to show that you were human, and not some re-purposed Brotherhood murder machine. She was pulled out of her trance when Jess called her name.

"Something the matter Ma'am? You were looking so far into space, it was as though you were trying to contact the Zetans." She said, laughing at her own joke. Mullins face palmed himself, due to having to witness the shear lack of decorum that Jess would show around the Acting Elder of the Brotherhood.

"Seriously Jess, one of these days you're going to be brought up on charges of improper conduct. You're lucky that Sentinel Coles here is so willing to put up with your bullshit. God knows that if it was Paladin Danse, if he wasn't some Institute robo-slave that is, that he'd have you cleaning the latrines." Mullins said.

It hurt Alexei that they could possibly talk of Danse in such a manner but she wouldn't let it show. Otherwise his cover could be blown and Alexei would sooner kill herself than let Danse be harmed just because of a small insult. Again she was pulled from her daydreams by Knight Reddington, again inquiring about the mind set of her idol.

"I'm fine Reddington. Just thinking about family back home in Boston." She said. Suddenly Jess seemed completely uninterested in the conversation she was having with Mullins and swung her legs around, now giving Alexei her complete undivided attention.

"Whose waiting at home for you ma'am, or do you mind me asking?" Jess asked, hoping to get an honest reply.

"Well... I've a ten year old son, named Shaun. He was named after my brother who fought alongside my husband, Nate in the war. They might have been Brothers-in-law, but they were brothers-in-arms before I even knew him. And I have a partner as well." She said. Jess looked as though she was cataloguing it all inside her head. Making hasty notes and questions she was eager to ask later.

"Isn't it true that the director of the Institute was your son? How is that possible if you have one at home as well?" She finally asked.

"While it's true that the director of the Institute was my biological son, he wasn't really him. He was turned into a monster by the Institute bastards that stole him from my husbands still defrosting arms. They raised him and they taught him that there was no middle ground. That there was no line that shouldn't be crossed. They tainted and destroyed him. That's how it was so easy for me to execute him. Because I knew that the man in front of me, while claiming to be my son, wasn't really him. Only a monster posing as him." She replied, her eyes still showing slight signs of a mothers broken heart. Thinking back to the short conversation she had with the real Shaun, as he lay on his deathbed, it had hurt her as he denounced her as his mother on the spot. She was happy that him and Nate would finally have a chance to meet though, so she supposed that every cloud have a silver lining.

Suddenly Newark announced that they were about 30 minutes from their destination, Searchlight Airport. Just a few miles south from Hoover. It was now about 11:30pm, so they had the cover of night as an advantage but they had to try and be back at Searchlight for exfiltration in 24 hours.

Alexei steeled her nerves as the Vertibird landed softly on the ground. Donning hazmat suits to combat the intense radiation, they were about to disembark before Newark handed Alexei a small unique Pulse Beacon and told her to activate it when they returned. Nodding her acknowledgement, she hopped off the Vertibird and turned to her team. As the engines rumbled to life and began to pull the heavy chunk of metal into the air, Alexei filled in Icarus on why they were here in the first place. Since it was Black List, the mission brief was strictly on a need-to-know basis especially as it involved the Elder's safety, but Alexei trusted Icarus and thought that they deserved to know what they were risking their life for. Both soldiers saluted, showing their respect for their commander. Taking point, Alexei led them off into the dark expanse of the Mojave Desert.

"Let's go find our Family! Let's go Icarus!"


	12. Author's Note

**Hey Guy's**

 **While this obviously isn't a chapter update, I was just going through my plan when I realised that some of my idea's or characters aren't exactly 100% lore friendly. This isn't to say I'm stopping We Are Steel, this is just to say that I will be adding some original characters later in the Story. You might have already met one such character, a High Elder named Perceval Maxson. I love the Brotherhood and it's lore but I also had thoughts about this character and his involvement in the later stages of my story.**

 **While I welcome any recommendations on where I could go with this story in it's later stages or on who I could include in this story, I ask that you don't harshly judge me on my character choices just because my story isn't totally lore friendly.**

 **I thank you all sincerely for reading and liking my FanFiction. I only hope that it improves in the future.**

 **From EndlessExplorer.**


	13. Chapter 12

*Back in the Commonwealth, At the Castle.

Danse was with Shaun, showing him how to properly maintain and handle a small concealable firearm that he'd sworn to only use in self defence. Danse made sure to explain to Shaun that any gun, no matter how big or how small could very well be used as a weapon of mass destruction, but that as well, any gun can be used to protect the needy and defenceless if used by the proper individual. He came to love the boy as though he was his own son and at times, he forgot that he was a synth just like him. One constant reminder though was that Shaun was un-naturally good with mechanics and electronics. That simple fact had made him a target, for many of the Commonwealth's factions. That in turn, made Danse incredibly protective of him. He knew that Alexei wouldn't forgive him if anything happened her son.

They were out on the firing range that Danse had recently built to help the Minutemen recruits with their own targeting problems. He stood down beside the target dummies, and cupping his hands around his mouth in an attempt to project his voice called up to Shaun, who stood at the top of the range, hopping eagerly with anticipation.

"Right Shaun, Draw when ready and hit as many spots on the centre target as consecutively as possible and I'll tally your score." He shouted. He could see that Shaun understood him when he suddenly stopped hopping, his feet squared and he stood like a pre-war movie cowboy, about to draw his weapon upon his enemy. Lining up, he targeted his make shift enemies and fired. Most of his shots missed, but he did manage to get a shot to the dummy's chest as well as a headshot.

"Good... 25 points. That's good for a beginner. Well done Shaun." Danse told him. "Let's go get a Nuka-Cola and see if there's any news on your mothers return."

"Ok, Mr. Danse. I think there's a Nuka-Cherry in there somewhere. I call Dibs." Shaun said, running towards the Castles Canteen, Danse following closely behind. The canteen was thankfully pretty empty as Preston had most of the occupying force out checking up on the different settlements throughout the Commonwealth. Danse sat down at a nearby bench while Shaun ran up and asked for two Nuka-Colas and while the server wasn't looking, he snatched a box of Fancy Lad snack cakes. Quickly returning to the table, he placed the soda down before greedily attempting to tear open the packaging on the sweet treats.

"Be careful Shaun. Also don't be greedy and learn to share." Danse said, adding the last part as he grabbed a cake from Shaun, in a swift move of hand. The synth child looked at him like a feral hound eyeing up its prey. Danse chuckled, throwing the cake into his mouth and then proceeded to pat Shaun on the head.

"You know your aim is getting much better. At this rate you'll be sniping ferals within a month." He told Shaun, but the child was too preoccupied in his crusade against the snack cakes to pay attention.

Suddenly in came some Brotherhood soldiers and Danse was grateful that his battle hardened tactical mind has told him to sit where he was, as he had good perception over the canteen, it's entrance and had plenty of exits around him. He saw the soldiers get a tray of food each and they started heading towards him. Instinctively, Danse started playing out the different possible outcomes in his head, each ending pretty badly. He'd have to play it cool and Shaun's safety would have to be his highest priority. They sat on the bench just below himself and Shaun and seemed to be pretty caught up in a conversation, so they paid little concern to the people around them. Danse continued to sip his soda slowly, ready to react at a moments notice.

A few seconds later Shaun finally finished his recharge, a loud belch noting his obvious satisfaction. He turned around and looked at the knights, enthralled in the shear science behind their impressive laser weaponry.

"Look Patrick! Why don't you have one of those?" He asked Danse. Danse rubbed the back of his neck, trying his best to come up with an answer that would satisfy Shaun and not blow his cover at the same time. Just as he was about to answer, one of the Brotherhood Knights answered instead.

"That''s because we're part of the Brotherhood of Steel. We protect the Commonwealth from danger and as a reward for our bravery, we get to shoot the terrible monsters with big laser guns." The Knight said, putting his hands up as if he was shooting his weapon.

Danse was appalled by these supposed Knights. Their reward? They didn't seem to have any respect for the Brotherhood. If he was still a Paladin, he'd send them off into the Commonwealth for a team building exercise. The thought then depressed him, his indefinite exile brought back to the forefront of his mind. He was grateful to Alexei however, The general having recruited him as a Captain, one responsible for the training of new Minutemen recruits. Suddenly, his radio started to buzz. He placed the aging equipment up by his ear and listened as a sentry reported a 'Nick Valentine' at the gates looking for the General. Rising from his seat, he beckoned for Shaun to follow. While he never looked back, he could feel the three sets of eyes staring at him, making him feel a bit on edge. He decided that it might be better for him to maybe leave the Castle until Alexei returns. He walked out into the central courtyard and called for Preston. His head appeared from a doorway almost immediately and he walked over.

"Preston. I'm afraid that by me being here, I might rouse a bad response from the Knights. I'm going to travel with Valentine until Alexei returns. Could you watch Shaun until Alexei or I return? Even for a synth child, the Commonwealth is a dangerous place, so I can't take him with me." Danse said.

"Sure thing. I'd be glad to watch the General's kid. Just send him up to me in the command hub before you leave. I've to get the supply shipments to the settlements set up before dawn. Damn though, it has me beat." Preston replied, wiping beads of sweat off his brow.

Danse was happy to have Preston around. When Alexei first introduced them, he was untrusting of him, trying to find his angle on the whole situation. But when Danse's identity was found out, he was one of the very few to accept him with open arms. They became friends over time.

Preston dipped his hat, in a sign of a salute and went back inside. Danse went over to Shaun and explained that he had to go away for a short while, passing it off as minuteman business but that Preston was going to watch him while he was gone. Shaun accepted and they hugged, an expression still slightly new to Danse. Then Danse walked up to Nick, who was leaning against the wall of the Castle, smoking a cigarette. Nick lifted his head, surprised to see who they had sent out to talk to him. Danse hated his eyes however, the golden yellow irises, examining him, trying to establish what had made Danse change his mind about talking to the synth.

"Hey Buzz-Cut, is Alexei around? I need her help with a case." He asked before taking a drag of his cigarette.

"I'm afraid she's away on Brotherhood business, Valentine." He replied, pronouncing his name slowly, as if he was giving a threat. Nick kicked himself off the wall, and proceeded down the hill.

"Well I'm not going to stick around then. See ya!" He shouted. Danse grabbed his arm, startling the detective.

"Do you mind if I stick with you for a while, Valentine? I'm afraid I could start a battle by sticking around the Castle. I don't want to get the minutemen harmed, just because they want to protect me from the Brotherhood. Plus, if they find out about Shaun, Alexei will skin me." He asked.

Valentine gave a light chuckle.

"Sure thing Danse. I could use some help actually."

As they headed down the hill together, Nick placed a mechanical hand on Danse's shoulder, earning a slight shudder from the ex-soldier.

"Let's head back to the office, we need to have you fitted for a trench coat."


	14. Chapter 13

*Mojave Desert, two miles from the reported Prydwen wreckage.

The wind howled and the sand stormed as Alexei, Mullins and Reddington stalked the Desert sands, getting ever closer to the location at which the Prydwen had reportedly crashed. The moon was high in the sky, supplying the trio with minimal, yet useful light. The trek here was dangerous to some degree as the team was forced to fight Centaurs, Super Mutants, Radscorpions and a deathclaw. It was humid and sticky, even in the dead of night and the three were forced to stop and rehydrate. Jess lay on the hot sand, her rifle laying on the ground beside her as she stared up at the stars.

"Even when there's mutated, irradiated death all around you, it's still nice to look up at the stars.." she said. Mullins stood over her and pulled her up onto her feet.

"The heat's getting to you Jess. You're going delirious. Here, have some water.." He said, handing her an unopened can of purified water. She accepted it gratefully and downed the contents in one long glug. Mullins then proceeded to give a long sigh and turned around to face Alexei, who was going through the ammo bags, taking inventory. It was a survival tactic that Danse had taught her, all those months ago.

"Alright guys, no unnecessary combat. We're low on everything. I'm sure the deathclaw absorbed most of it, but count your shots. They're limited." She said, zipping the duffel shut. She slung it back up on her shoulder, picked up her rifle and reloaded the magazine.

"Reddington! You're on point. You'll do more damage at the front and we'll minimise friendly fire. Mullins, you're in the middle, supporting Jess, watching her flank and I'll be in the back. I do more damage from long range anyway." She ordered. Her charges moved into position, and the three of them moved through the sands as a cohesive unit. As a team.

When they could hear the obvious sounds of rushing water, they knew that they were close to the Dam. The dunes rose along the river bank, so they knew that once they reached the top, they should be able to see the Prydwen, If the reports were to be believed. As they got nearer, Alexei dropped down, and motioned for Mullins and Reddington to do the same. Checking the time on her pip-boy, Alexei could see that it was almost 4:30am. The sun would be rising soon. Cursing internally as their shroud would soon be gone, she turned to her team.

"We don't have much time. We have our mission and we will complete it. If the Prydwen has been destroyed, we can mourn when we're out of enemy territory. We board the wreckage, check for survivors, no matter how desperate it may seem. We download the archive then blank and destroy the terminal aboard the ship. It should be allocated in the Elder's quarters on the common deck. I'll get the Archive, you two can search for supplies, survivors or any salvageable tech. Ok?" She said. Both Knights looked at her and responded with a solemn nod and saluted. Alexei nodded in return and proceeded up the hill. What they saw, not one of them had prepared for.

The dam was being patrolled by securitrons and the evidence of the second battle of Hoover Dam was clearly visible. Just south of that however was the smouldering wreckage of the Prydwen, Lying in the river bed. It's body contorted and destroyed. Support beams protruded like broken bones and corpses were littered everywhere. I was almost as though, once it crashed, it was left there to warn anyone. A grizzly attempt to implement fear into Turner's enemies. Alexei could feel the bile rise in her throat, the intense anger towards the destruction of her family, plus the purely disrespectful display hurt her at her very core. Mullins had his head dropped in quiet prayer and in a show of respect to his fallen brothers and all Alexei could see in Jess' eyes were a burning, nearly all consuming rage present in her eyes. Her eyes were bared and her fists were turning white from the sheer force from which she was baring her shotgun. Alexei, swinging her rifle onto her back, lay her hands on Jess' shoulders and forced her to look at her. As she stared, she could see parts of that anger, breaking down into an intense sadness. After a quick, almost telepathic conversation between them, Jess backed away and muttered a quiet "Thank You". Alexei straightened herself as well and again, turned around to face her team.

"Alright, we've confirmed that the Prydwen, has in fact been destroyed and that it seems that all souls aboard are dead. While we all wish to mourn the loss of our brothers and sisters, we must honour them by striking back against those that have killed them. I need you to bottle your anguish temporarily, while we get what we need to strike back against these bastards. I need Icarus. I need my team." She said, as she lifted her arm and brought it to her chest in normal brotherhood fashion. "We are steel! We do not bend, we do not break. We protect and we survive. We are the Brotherhood!"

Mullins lifted his head and responded to Alexei's salute with vigor and pride, his resolve seemingly renewed. He lifted his rifle into the air and brought it back down and readied himself. Jess just reloaded and cocked her shotgun, Her rage now, a need for vengeance. Copying the salute, she simply said.

"Ad Victorium Ma'am!"

Satisfied, they reached the wreckage and climbed aboard the twisted hulk of Steel. Splitting up, Alexei went to find Maxson's quarters, while Mullins and Jess searched for survivors. The once proud symbol of strength and power for the Brotherhood, had become a mass grave for the Order. Alexei found Knights, huddled over smaller figures, probably pages, in a futile effort to protect them, while Jess and Mullins had found a stash of holotapes, a last ditch effort for the dying members to send their goodbyes home. Jess had grabbed each one, vowing among the corpses to have the messages delivered.

Alexei had finally found the command deck. The terminals all sparked and fizzled as the monitors flashed with broken images and half present figures. Climbing up, she got to the level on which Arthur would have stood in his canopy, hoping to still find the ladder leading to the Common deck. What she did find were more corpses, including that of Lancer-Captain Kells, lying motionless on the ground, with a steel beam having impaled him in the chest. His face contorted in an expression of shock and pain. Alexei, shutting his eyelids with her fingers, proceeded to grasp and pull off his holotag, hoping to have it sent to his wife in D.C as a memento, from which to remember him. Remembering the pain of seeing Nate, she knew that his wife would appreciate the closure. Placing the tags in her pack, she climbed higher and eventually reached the common deck. As she finished climbing, she looked around. More corpses strewn throughout the hallways and she then turned and forced open the door into her quarters, remembering something important.

In the corner was her bunk, lying twisted and charred against the wall. To it's left, she found her lockers and she hoped that her treasure was still safely locked inside. The door was held closed by a particularly stubborn steel padlock and unable to find its key, Alexei was forced to shoot the lock off. While suppressed, the ship was quiet enough that the gun shot rang through the hallowed hallways. Alexei could then hear the frantic thump of a pair of combat boots. The muzzle of a shotgun was first to enter the doorframe, it's wielder following shortly after. Upon deciding that there was no apparent threat, the shotgun was lowered.

"I thought I heard a gunshot Ma'am. I feared for your safety, so I came running." Jess said, scanning the room.

She watched as Alexei pulled a black lockbox out of the relatively empty locker space. Speechless, Alexei pulled out the key that hung on a chain around her neck and opened the lockbox. A sign of relief spread across her face as she saw that the contents remained untarnished. Alexei, pocketing the contents, picked up her rifle again and headed for the door, Jess stood to one side to allow her to pass through the fragile doorway. Alexei then stood in front of the door that days before, had her and Arthur share a drink and a chat, all but forgetting the stress that hung on their collective shoulders. She tried to put her weight against the door, but she felt weak, both emotionally and physically. Looking to her side, she saw Jess standing, for once she was stoic and respectful. She could see that Alexei was hurting over the probable loss of a dear friend and that she feared the worst by entering his quarters. Standing alongside her, she supported her mentor and helped her open the warped steel door. Inside, their collective fears were confirmed. On the floor, alongside his private terminal, lay Arthur. His face broken and bruised and the obvious signs of a broken nose, now covered in dried blood. His face was calm, and peaceful, his scowl vanished. Alexei and Jess shared a silent minute in respect for their leader and and their friend. Then upon hearing the sound of another pair of boots, Alexei had deduced that Mullins had finally arrived.

Deciding to bring his holotags back home to his grandfather, Alexei bent down and slowly dragged her hand across his neck, looking for the familiar feeling of a chain. She was confused when she couldn't find it. Looking around, she asked for Mullins and Reddington to help her find them. Finally, Jess noticed them, stitched onto the shoulder pads of his beloved Battlecoat. As a team, they carefully lifted him up and take off his battlecoat and lay his corpse on his bed. While Mullins and Jess toke one last patrol of the ship, Alexei logged onto Arthur's terminal, Which was also the only source to the Codex on board the ship. After she wiped the terminal, severing its connection, She walked over to Arthur and bringing her arm up across her chest, she whispered

"Ad Victorium Arthur. May Steel preserve you."

Waiting underneath a sheared sheet of metal, Alexei watched the sun coming up over the horizon. The heat now starting to steadily increase again, Alexei wiped the tears from her eyes as she finally took a minute to mourn the loss of her Family. As she heard sounds coming from behind her, she wiped away the tears again and composed herself, running her hand through her long raven locks in a futile attempt to knock out the gathering sand. Turning around, she wasn't' surprised to find two equally pained faces. Jess just seemed to collapse in the sand, while Mullins leaned against the steel. He jumped at the shock of the heated Steel.

"Everyone Ok? Any injuries?" Alexei asked. The howl of the mind the only reply. After a while, Jess mumbled a response.

"Except a broken heart, I'm fine."

Feeling a little tired herself, Alexei slumped down onto the sand alongside Jess. Taking a can of purified water out of her pack, she cracked it open and passed it around.

"Right! Everyone take a breather. Eat up and drink up. We leave in 30 minutes."


	15. Chapter 14 Part 1

The heat in the Mojave had hit an all time high. Sands scorched, skin burned. As Icarus headed south once again to reach Searchlight, they talked and focused around them as a way to distract themselves from the immense heat. As they reached the outskirts of the town, they came across a NCR checkpoint. A soldier raised his hand, ordering them to stop.

"Sorry, No access allowed. Entire town is an irradiated cesspit." He told them.

"We have to get through. We have to get to the airport." Jess said. The soldier advanced on Alexei, eyeing her down.

"I take it you're the leader of this little motley crew. What business would you have in an irradiated hole like this? Huh?" He said, poking her in the chest to emphasise the end of his question. Calling over additional help, there was now a wall of armed grunts between them and the Airport.

Not looking to entice any conflict, Alexei backed away and retreated down the road, followed by her two companions. Taking cover in a nearby shack, they began to discuss strategies on how to avoid or bypass the checkpoint.

"How about we wait until nightfall and sneak past them then?" Jess asked. Alexei knew that soldiers were very light sleepers. She remembered how she used to are Nate just by coughing or how if Codsworth had hit anything by accident, his eyes would open and instinctively he'd search for the source of the commotion.

"We'd nearly need stealth boys along with us. We need another solution." Alexei said. Both Jess and Alexei then looked to Mullins, who had been practically mute now for quite some time.

"What? We could try it the old fashioned way? You know, All guns blazing?" He added.

"Definitely not Mullins! I will not willingly hurt innocents, or defenders of those innocents just because they make my job that much more difficult!" Alexei demanded, her tone finalising that solution was immediately off the metaphorical table.

Suddenly they could hear explosions along with the sounds of ballistic weapons and the familiar sounds of energy weaponry. Immediately falling into an attack and defend position, they moved out of the shack and looked toward the checkpoint. Looking through her scope, Alexei could count eight or nine fiends at the checkpoint.

"Fiends. About eight or nine of them. Looks like they caught the NCR by surprise. Killed each and every one of them. Now back to your initial idea, Mullins, Bandits I really don't mind getting rid off." Alexei said.

Gesturing for them to continue towards the checkpoint, they noticed that for bandits, the fiends were a rather intelligent bunch. Nearly immediately setting up a perimeter watch as the rest of them cleaned out the camp and burned the corpses. Hiding behind a large rock, Alexei, Jess and Mullins reloaded their weapons. Alexei then whispered.

"Remember to count your shots. We're all low on ammo, so if you can, go melee. But no heroics."

Again gesturing down from the count of three, they charged out from behind the rock, catching some of the bandits off guard. Again they stuck to their strengths. Jess, up close and personal, Mullins, in the middle giving Jess support and Alexei in the rear, picking off the enemy with her rifles. The combat was over in a few seconds, but like usual, Jess in her adrenaline-fuelled hyperactive state began screaming a war cry.

"Search the camp for ammo or medicine, we'll need it in the radiation around the airport." Alexei said, while looking around at the corpses around her.

It always surprised her how violent this new world was. How a man could be gunned down in the town square just on a consumption. Houses burned to the ground just because the criminal felt cold. This new world that Alexei found herself in after leaving the vault was twisted and turned, broken and remoulded into the twisted creature it now was. What scared her though was that she enjoyed the fact that she could take the law into her own hands. That a heated argue meant could be solved in the simple matter of one man's reaction time or his ability to dodge a flying bullet. While it scared her however, she decided to look at it through rose-tinted glasses, to look at the positive parts of her life now. For example, her relationship with Danse, her new found appreciation to be a mother again and the fact that she had made so many good friends throughout her vast travels.

After the camp was cleared, they continued on their way to Searchlight Airport, staring in awe at the fact that Caesar's Legion had willingly put this fate of irradiated damnation on the town. Eventually they reached their exfiltration point. Alexei dug into her pack and lifted out the beacon that Newark had given her earlier. She activated it and after a while, her pip-boy lit up, letting her know that it too had picked up the signal. All they could do now is wait.

Hours passed and still no sign of Newark. Alexei scanned the horizon, but between the dirt on her suits visor and the constant murky green hue surrounding them it was useless. Jess had gone on to look at the derelict remains of the planes that were left here to rot for the rest of eternity, while Mullins stayed quiet, sitting up on the wing of a plane, gently drumming his finger on the side of his rifle.

"Mullins? Are you ok? You've been almost mute since we left the Prydwen." Alexei asked him. She stared at him and watched as his helmet turned and he seemed to stare at her. Finally he talked again, this time rather weakly.

"My Dad was a Knight-Sergeant. Lived in the brotherhood all his life. Same as my grand-dad before him and so on. He met my mother at the Citadel, back when he was first promoted to a knight. She was a scribe. They married after about six months and I came soon after. Anyway both of them were thrilled when they were both stationed aboard the Prydwen because it meant that they'd never be separated. Before the Prydwen had left the air base, to travel to the Commonwealth, I had stay at the Citadel for my combat training, so I said good-bye to my parents but they promised me that we'd see each other again. I saw them again, I saw them today. They lay there together like always, holding each other in their arms. I lost my parents today and I promise that Turner will pay for what he's done. I was waiting to see Dads reaction when I told him I finally outrank him"

Alexei took pity in him and left him to his quiet requiem. She began to saunter around, dragging her gloved hands along the pieces of corroded steel and flakey paint. Suddenly the fast paced movement of boots crushing sand caught her attention and pulled her to attention. Heading back to the camp, she looked around for the source of the noise. Up along the tarmac, she could see beams flying. It was Jess. She seemed to be running backwards, trying to shoot her attacker. Alexei could now see why she was running. She was being followed by one of the biggest hordes of feral ghouls Alexei had ever seen. For a moment, her tactical mind failed her and just seemed to freeze. Her hands shook as her mind tried to calculate all the variables at once and she began to give herself a headache. She was brought back to earth however when she was handed her rifle and simply told,

"I wanted to vent today anyway."


	16. Chapter 14 Part 2

Grabbing her rifle, Alexei charged into combat, providing Jess with adequate support while she ran behind their make-shift barricade. It quickly became absolute chaos. As Jess took a much needed breather, Alexei and Mullins both fought with equal viciousness and tenacity all in order to protect their sister-in-steel.

The ghouls were relentless in their assault, the horde kept growing and growing and spilling from the town far enough out in the distance. The guttural growls and half melted corpses of the irradiated horde was both terrifying and deafening.

"What the hell did you stir up Reddington!?" Alexei shouted into her radio. She turned to look at Jess who was still sitting, leaning against the barricade. Her hand was up on her chest, over her heart. She seemed to trying to calm herself.

"Knight? What.. Did.. You.. Do?" She asked again, as she brought the butt of her rifle down on the head of a nearby ghoul. It exploded on impact as the irradiated masses were only held together by withered skin. Wiping her helmet visor with her sleeve, Alexei then ordered Mullins to cover them as she went to check on Jess. Getting only a grunt as a reply, she quickly ran over to Jess, picking her up and standing her on her feet.

"Soldier! We need you! We are drastically outnumbered and we seem to be down a man. Can you please pull yourself together and take this shotgun and shoot the enemy! We did not come this far to avenge our brothers just to die here!" Alexei said. After some time, Jess sheepishly took the shotgun out of Alexei's hands. It seemed foreign for a second or two, but then her inner soldier came out and she was back in action

Upon deciding that Jess would be ok for the time being, Alexei took her own rifle off her back and begun to tear apart the crowd. After some time the horde finally started to diminish gradually. Then Alexei heard the first bit of good news that she had heard in a few hours. While the signal was still rather broken up, Alexei began to hear the familiar voice of Lancer-Sergeant Newark, coming in from her pip-boy.

"...Icarus...20 minutes...over and out" was all that Alexei could make out, but hearing that safety was close, she felt re-energised, but that could also be the adrenaline pumping through her veins. Opening the comm channel, she informed her team.

"Right Icarus, 'birds out about 20 minutes. We have to hold the line until then. Don't worry, We'll be going home today. For the Brotherhood!

As the three continued fighting, things began to look up. With the prospect of going home so close, the adrenaline was pumping and they were like a well oiled killing machine. Their collective body count rising. But like all good things, it must all come to an end, and that feeling was re-enforced when suddenly the ground gave a slight tremor. The tremor gradually gained fervour and soon Alexei, Mullins and Jess had to hold onto something to keep themselves on their feet. Fortunately, the tremors also kept the horde from advancing. The shake continued for a few minutes and then all of a sudden it stopped. Surprised, Alexei looked around at her teammates. They picked up their weapons and aimed out at the scrambling horde. But before they could get a shot off however, radscorpions erupted from the ground, in a variety of shapes and sizes. Suddenly, things got a whole lot worse.

It was absolute chaos. The scorpions turned against the horde and were demolishing them. The horde that was advancing on the barricade, stopped to go and help their irradiated brethren, only to be rewarded with stingers going through their faces or giant claws, sawing them in half. While they kept each-other occupied, Alexei moved her team back, further into the airplane graveyard. Climbing up onto an old destroyed airliner, Alexei checked the signal again. It was stronger this time and Alexei could understand more of the signal.

"Light flare... should see... approximately 5 minutes.."

"Knight Reddington! Grab the flare gun and let it fly!" Alexei ordered. Somewhere in all the fighting, she had slipped into her terrifying Sentinel persona. Jess followed her orders dutifully, and soon a sharp red hue attempted to break through the murky green. Suddenly, the noise that had moved into the background, began to get louder. The sounds of scorpions, scrambling over old wrecks and the sound of their pincers was like a symphony of expected death. Swapping out her bolt-action for an assault rifle, she reloaded and gave some ammo to both Jess and Mullins.

"Remember, we're almost home free. Our rides only five minutes out. We have to stand until then. We have to get back to the others and warn them. Ad Victorium Icarus!"

For the following five minutes, the only thing keeping them alive was their self-preservation instincts and the fact that they were a team, they were watching each-others backs. Sounds of bugs screaching in pain filled the air. Suddenly Jess dropped. Mullins, ran up and shoved his weapon through the cranium of the scorpion nearest to her and fired, splattering what little brains the creature had, all over the floor. Carrying Jess bridal style, he brought her back behind cover as he went and continued the assault alongside their commander. As they got increasingly tired, as they were about to give up, a light punched through the murky green and told them all to hit the deck. The sound of a mini-gun rotating alerted Icarus to the presence of Newark. Bullet fire erupted, peppering everything with lead. The scorpions seemed to back off then, deciding a ghoul feast is more interesting then trying to go up against a fully automatic machine gun. Newark landed and while Mullins carried Jess aboard, again bridal style , Alexei grabbed their gear and after she hopped aboard, the Vertibird departed.

The wind rushed through the rear of the aircraft and Jess, lying along the rear seats began to shiver violently. As Alexei slid the doors shut, Mullins grabbed his combat knife and cut open the fabric of Jess' combat fatigues. Underneath the fabric, they saw what had taken the stubborn soldier down. While the initial wound couldn't have been bigger than a stab wound, her lower calf had swollen and turned blue and black. There was blood around the wound, but not enough to warrant it priority over the obvious poisoning.

"Newark! Any supplies aboard? We have a scorpion poisoning!" Alexei asked, putting the back of her hand to Jess' pale forehead.

"Sure, check the cabinet on the wall. Should have some anti-venom in there. Should do the trick." The lancer replied. Sure enough, Alexei managed to find the medicine along with some spirits and some gauze. She handed the anti-venom to Mullins, while she prepared a field bandage.

"Sorry Jess, but this will probably hurt like a bitch!" Mullins said as he plunged the needle deep into the grievous wound. Jess howled in pain and soon went limp. She had fainted due to shock. Mullins watched as the medicine seemed to work instantly, the immense swelling and the colouration almost gone already. Alexei cleaned the wound using the spirits and one piece of gauze and then made a bandage using the rest of the medicinal fabric.

As Alexei took her seat again, alongside the Lancer-Sergeant, Mullins sat on the floor of the aircraft and leaned against the seats. He soon succumbed to some much needed rest. Alexei stared out onto the remains of the USA underneath them, soon she too started to feel tired. Asking the lancer to wake her when their closer to their destination, she too succumbed to a sound slumber.


	17. Chapter 15

Going over the events of the last 24 hours in her head, Alexei tried to make sense of the whole thing. In a single day, she had met two new friends in the form of the two soldiers placed in her team, she had found the majority of the eastern chapter of the Brotherhood dead and mourned the loss of a good friend and she had thankfully managed to retrieve one of her most prized possessions, her wedding rings.

She had been careful not to let Jess see, but when she had been first given the quarters after she was promoted to the rank of Paladin, she had locked the rings away in the lockbox and locked that away in the locker. She had just properly started her relationship with Danse at that point but when ever she would act intimate around Danse, she could feel Nate's ring burning a hole into her neck as it hung alongside her Brotherhood tags. The idea had worked for a while, she managed to help her relationship flourish, but after seeing Kells and remembering her late husband, she also remembered where she had left the rings. She looked down at the platinum bands in her hand and closed her eyes, remembering back to her wedding day.

While Coles was her maiden name, she could still remember the notice outside the chapel that day.

/Welcome to the wedding of Alexei Coles and Nathan Porter/

She could remember standing in front of the mirror in her changing room, her flowing white gown acting stubborn and deciding not to cooperate with her. In a fit of anger, she gave up and sank into the nearby chair. The sweet familiar scent of her mother's preferred perfume still familiar to her nostrils, came to mind as she remembered the pep talk she received off her mother before she joined her father by the back door. She could remember the way her fathers glasses hung on the tip of his nose and how he had grown a small bit taller as he looked at his daughter in all her glowing radiance. Those were her fathers words. Her mother always called him the hapless romantic.

The door swung open and the wedding march began to play. She could remember the faces as she walked. Her sister Florence, her cousins, aunts and uncles, even Nate's family, but something seemed off. Everything was exactly the same except for one important detail. Nate was no where to be seen. Who stood in his place however was taller, had broader shoulders and his brunette locks combatted the blonde ones she was expecting to see. Upon further investigation, she noticed that it was Danse. She had been imagining marrying Danse. Shaking herself from her dream, she felt momentarily guilty. Guilty that it seemed that her mind had already forgotten Nate and the precious five years that they had spent together as husband and wife. As she did have ironclad feelings for Danse and she loved him dearly, she also felt that since Nate was taken from her so viciously, that it was a mortal scar on her heart that may never heal. She decided that when she gets back to the Commonwealth, she'd visit Nate's grave and she'd bring Shaun along with her. He may not be the guys flesh and blood, but Shaun truly believed that Nate was his father and she knew he'd appreciate the gesture.

They were still aboard the Vertibird, almost at their destination. Slipping the rings back into her jacket pocket, she went and replaced the cold, wet rag that lay on Jess' forehead. They needed something to cool her down as she had developed a harsh fever while her body, along with the anti-venom, tried to work off the scorpion venom. Looking down at Mullins, who was still fast asleep, she could see that his hand was intertwined in Jess', trying to show the Knight that she could depend on him. Leaving them alone, she went and sat beside Newark and the two had a friendly chat about all the things that Alexei had done while she headed the campaign against the Institute. Newark then explained to her that she, in fact had a daughter back in the Citadel. Her husband who watched her primarily as Newark herself usually was forced to go on troop transport or supply runs, would protect her until his dying breath. Having heard about Alexei's exploits and the destruction of the Institute, she feared how she could have done it. How she could have possibly not even harm, but to actually go kill her own son, describing it as a harrowing experience, despite the Institute's crimes.

Finally, the Citadel came into view and Alexei just felt relieved to be soon back inside safe borders. The radio came to life, the soldier on the other side seeking authorisation. Newark gave her landing codes and Alexei gave her designation. After that was all cleared and the Vertibird was granted landing permission, Alexei also informed them that Reddington had been wounded and was in need of medical aid. As the aircraft kissed the tarmac, the door was pulled open and Jess was safely taken off and placed on a stretcher. As she was carted off to the Infirmary, Alexei was informed that High Elder Maxson wished to speak to her over the mission details. She told Mullins to head to the infirmary as he should also be checked out by a doctor. She also said so that he could check up on Jess, adding the last part with a small mischievous smirk. He went wide eyed and mumbled something inaudible. As he ran off in the direction of the Infirmary, Alexei once again handed her rifle into the armoury so that it could be cleaned and repaired and then continued on in the direction of the grand oak doors to which she proceeded to stand before at attention.

The doors opened and Alexei once again walked in. This time the brazier was already lit and she could already see the High Elder standing before it, heating his hands over the roaring flame. As she walked closer, she could see him properly. He was pained, which was obvious from his slumped shoulders and the slight hunch in his back. Not bothering to turn and face her, now he merely was talking to her, not as High Elder but as a grandfather, stricken with confirmed news over an issue that he probably already knew. He was mourning Arthur.

"I take it since it was only you and your team that returned, our fears have been confirmed. The rest of the eastern chapter has indeed been killed. Alongside my grandson." He asked.

"Affirmative, sir. I can confirm that the Prydwen along with all souls aboard have in fact been killed in action. I cleared the Archive and severed the connection to the Codex along with it's connection to the Brotherhood's central intelligence server. The Prydwen was destroyed, twisted and became a mass grave for our fallen brothers and sisters. I do have something though, sir." Alexei said as she pulled Arthur's coat out of her pack. The High Elder seemed to accept the gift wholeheartedly, the silence telling her, only a fraction of just how appreciative he was of the gesture.

"It was the least I could do for a dear friend." She told him. He placed the coat down on a table beside him and turned towards the brazier again.

"It was here in front of the fire that Arthur made the Steel Pact. He pledged before me, his brothers and sisters that he'd protect them and lead them into the future as Elder of the Eastern Chapter. I was proud of his rapid growth through the ranks and I thought that he'd be the one to take my place as High Elder. Now though we face a threat that has grown from one man's selfish desire for power and how he seems to be partners with a sociopathic mailman." He said.

"Do you have a mission for me then sir?" Alexei asked.

"In due time Sentinel, but I have a question for you first. How do you feel about the Brotherhood?"

The question caught her off guard but she answered after a second.

"I believe in the Brotherhood and it's beliefs. I also believe that the Brotherhood may gain more followers if we were to impose slightly less bigoted ideals. From what I could see, people believe that we think that we're better than everyone else and that is why we hoard our technology, and don't accept that many outsiders as members. I lost a lot of friends when the Prydwen went down, so I want to return to Turner and take justice for everyone he's killed." She said, beginning to get angry.

"I believe that every good leader should believe in their groups beliefs but still have an opinion of their own. The surviving Elders have convened and they have decided upon a new Elder for the Eastern Chapter." The High Elder added.

"Sir, If you don't mind, who is it?" Alexei asked.

"You. He said; I was going to ask you to take the Pact before you return to the Commonwealth." He said. Alexei couldn't believe it. The Elders had elected her to be the one to replace Arthur. Trying to form a question, she stood there, puzzled.

"As Arthur told you already, You're currently the highest ranking member of the remaining Eastern Chapter, the troops follow you and adore you and you're the only one who the Council can trust to lead the East Chapter into the future." He told her. She thought about it but knew her answer already.

"I graciously accept the position, the responsibility and the title. I remember telling Arthur that I was coming for his position, but I hadn't planned on it being so soon." Alexei said, smiling.

"Great, now we will reconvene here tomorrow morning and you can take the Pact in front of your Brothers and Sisters." He said.

Alexei gave him an honest, respectful salute. "I shall see you tomorrow then, High Elder. I wish you a good night." She said.

Returning the salute, the High Elder stopped her. "I hear you and your team had a rough departure from the Mojave. How is Knight Reddington doing?" He asked her.

"I was just about to head over and check. We administered a shot of anti-venom and cleaned the wound using spirits and gauze. It was crude, but surprisingly effective. I was worried." She replied. As Alexei turned to leave, she was stopped by another of the High Elders messages.

"That's good as I'm sending them with you to the Commonwealth. You'll need the numbers."


	18. Chapter 16

Morning came and Alexei was standing again before the grand oak doors, only this time, it sounded a lot livelier on the other side. Various thoughts began racing through her mind after she had accepted the position last night. What would Danse think? Would he approve? Would he leave her? What would Shaun, Preston and all the others think? She tried her best to cloud the thoughts but her worries could be just as stubborn as her. Eventually, all grew quiet and after a second or two, the doors swung open slowly. She slowly began to walk towards the Brazier, where she could see Percival Maxson. Her posture was just as strong as she was and did not falter or break in all it's elegant grace. Looking out through the corner of her eye, she spotted Mullins and Jess, the latter using the former as a crutch as her leg was still healing. She stopped before the High Elder.

Clutching an old and well worn tome, he put his arm across his chest in salute to the Sentinel. Keeping it there, he addressed her.

"Place your hand upon the Codex please." He asked her, his voice carrying across the room. Alexei did so as well as return the salute, also keeping her arm raised.

"Sentinel Alexandra Jane Coles, You stand before the Brotherhood today to take the Steel Pact. The Pact that countless before you have taken in order to commit themselves to the role and responsibility as an Elder in the Brotherhood. You have fought valiantly for this Brotherhood and you have destroyed our enemies. You are the very model of which generations of Brotherhood pages will admire and respect. Through combat and leadership, you have proven to uphold the Brotherhood and her tenets in your actions and have taken them to heart. So I ask you now, before the Codex."

"Will you lead us?"

"I will"

"Will you follow the Codex, and uphold our Rules?"

"I will"

"Will you continue to fight the Brotherhood's enemies in our name?"

"I will"

"Then I hereby grant you the Title of Elder of the Eastern Chapter. It's future and leadership now fall to you. All Brotherhood resources here in the East are available to you for use and now I wish to call forward Knight-Captain Drake Mullins and Knight Sergeant Jessica Reddington." He said as he handed Alexei her new Elder's uniform. It was solid black, like her Sentinel uniform, yet it had the symbol of the Brotherhood Elders emblazoned on the lapel. Mullins and Jess stepped forward together slowly, mostly due to Jess' need for walking assistance.

"The new Elder has spoken highly to me about you two. How you kept yourselves together when faced with the death aboard the wreckage of the Prydwen and how you aided her in the struggle to keep the landing zone at Searchlight Airport clear. It is due to this upstanding conduct and upon personal request from the Elder, that I now appoint you as her new Honorguard. You will be responsible to be her ever vigilant bodyguards, and to aid her in her campaign to protect the Commonwealth and all her citizens." He said. Jess smiled, despite the extravagant pain in her calf and Mullins gave them both a solemn "thank you".

About two hours later, after the Codex had been updated, the holotags returned and their gear repaired, Alexei and her friends were waiting while their Vertibird back to the Commonwealth was prepped for the flight. They were enjoying a well deserved drink and the strong whiskey was helping Jess forget about the pulsing pain in her leg.

"Congratulations again on the promotion Ma'am. You'll do this Chapter proud." The 'Whiskey Queen' told her, her words heavily slurred.

She had been awarded the name of the 'Whiskey Queen' after she had dared Alexei into a drinking contest. Remembering back, it was quite the battle. After Alexei had been named Elder, there was a small banquet in her honour. There was food, music and enough alcohol to drown Jamaica Plains. Alexei had been relaxing in a chair, already on a bottle count of three beers and two tumblers of brandy. Jess had come up to her, claiming that she had forgotten the humble roots of the Brotherhood that she started at and in order to raise morale, she'd have to show the 'grunts' that she was still one of them at heart. Jess challenged Alexei to a drinking contest, confident in her ability to withstand liquor in all forms. First one to pass out lost and the survivor would be named queen.

The air was tense and they started out with weak moonshine that someone had sourced on-site. It was like water to them. Deciding to step it up, as the night continued, the Citadel's canteen began to reek of vomit, mixed liquors and other strange substances. Eventually it came to the whiskey round. Alexei never liked the stuff and feared that she may need to bow out. The round started and the cheers rang out as they clinked glasses before downing the drink. It sent Alexei into a minor coughing fit but she quickly recovered. After about 4 more shots however, Alexei was forced to throw in the towel. The cheering intensified and Jess threw her arms up in the air in triumph. After about three seconds, her eyes ran to the back of her head and she passed out. She was lifted up and put in her bunk. Alexei just retired to her own quarters. She had drank more than Jess, but the sheer amount of heavy drinking she used to do with her sister, back before the war, had long enhanced her resilience to the hard liquor, so she quickly recovered.

"Thanks Jess. How are you feeling by the way? Doctors give you an idea as to when you'll be given the all clear yet?" She asked.

"Soon... just soon..." She said, before laying her head down. Within seconds she was sound asleep, either to exhaustion or the exuberant amount of alcohol that she had consumed. Mullins came over then soon after, telling Alexei that the Vertibird had been prepped and was awaiting her order to leave. Pointing towards Jess' sleeping form, she said.

"You grab her highness. I'll meet you aboard."

Twenty minutes later, they were on their way home.


	19. Chapter 17

*Back in the Commonwealth, outside Weston Water.

Danse and Nick were sitting beside a campfire. They were trying to find the source of the new brand of chems, that were being leaked out onto the market. Nick was content with the matter after Alexei shut down Marowski's other lab at the fishpacking plant, but like all good criminals, cut one down, three more take it's place. The wind was silent and the heat was heavy but that didn't seem to bother the two of them. Exchanging occasional glances at each-other, it was Nick that eventually broke the stagnant silence.

"I heard from a reliable source that you and Alexei were a thing? I have to ask but how are things between ye?"

Danse knew who his 'reliable source' was and made a mental note to go and have a chat with that red leathered reporter, give her an idea on what information to censor.

"I think it's great between us, but I'm afraid that we might need to break it off if her involvement with the Brotherhood gets any bigger. It was easy when she wasn't the centre of attention, but after the destruction of the Institute and now being called off to D.C, I'm afraid I could lose her." Danse replied.

"And who said Synths have no feelings?" Nick said with a laugh. "That's real emotion you're feeling there, big guy. I don't know how but it seems that Alexei even found a way to break that ironclad heart of yours."

Danse replied with a smirk. He knew that Nick was telling the truth. He loved Alexei and would go to the very ends of the earth for her, but if she were to stay with the Brotherhood, the very family he brought her into, he might need to leave her in order to protect her. Nick seemed to understand his inner turmoil, just from the look in his eyes.

"You know she loves you just as much. She'd sooner leave the Brotherhood far behind then give you up. Take for instance, Acadia out in Far Harbour. She levelled that place to the ground alongside the Brotherhood while wearing your Power Armour just so that it could be that you were alongside your friends. She tears super mutants apart using her own arms because of the pain they caused you. She wouldn't tell me what had happened to you, but at the level of viciousness, they must have killed someone dear. It's almost scarier then the massive green bastards themselves." Nick told him.

Danse felt shocked. Shocked at himself and how he possibly could have missed the signs. He could remember how viciously she was swinging her super sledge as they fought their way through Fort Strong. She broke legs, arms and helped the 'muties' with the removal of their heads off their collective shoulders. He knew that they had shared the private moment between them prior to the assault where Danse told her about Cutler's fate, but he was too proud of his then protege to notice that she wasn't just fighting for her duty to the Brotherhood, but rather seeking vengeance for the violent crimes they had caused to people like Danse, forcing them to kill their dear friends and family. He could remember back one time when they were investigating the situation at the Salem museum of witchcraft. After scrambling through the basement, they had come face to face with a massive Deathclaw. The fight was going ok until a swipe from the massive beast severed the servo connections in Danse's power armour. Danse's defence had become a cage as he couldn't move or remove himself from the armour. He was ready to accept his fate, but before the monster could drop its clawed paw, it was stopped half way by a rocket to the side of the face. Putting it's paw up to the side of it's head as it tried to stabilise itself, it was defenceless as Alexei pulled out the rifle that Danse had given her back at Arcjet, and shot it until it collapsed. Walking over in her own set of modified power armour, she lay her mechanical foot on it's shoulder and ripped it's head clean off. Danse again was awestruck. Climbing out of her armour, she grabbed wiring kits, solder wire and a blowtorch and went about repairing the damaged servo connections. The time flew by and Danse thanked her for her aid, her reply being "No Problem". Danse thought at the time that he saw the faint flicker of affection in her sapphire eyes but thought he was seeing things. Now again, he felt bad that he was so blind towards her obvious signs. Looking to take his mind off of the matter, he pulled out the small portable radio that Alexei had found and repaired for him, gifting it along with a comment.

"If you ever want to stop and relax or just start dancing."

Switching on to Radio Freedom, he thought he heard a familiar voice. He knew he wasn't crazy when Nick heard it as well. Alexei was being broadcast, asking for all of the Brotherhood forces to return to the Castle, immediately. He let the message play, just wanting to hear her voice again. He knew that with that large amount of Brotherhood forces, especially if Ingram, Haylin and Rys would be there, that he couldn't get anywhere near the Castle without being spotted. He was pulled from his depression when Nick threw over a small, leather pouch. Slowly, he opened it and looked inside. It contained a stealth-boy.

"Where did you get this?" He asked.

"Payment for a job I did in Diamond City. Crazy whacked-out chemist selling chems using kids as runners. Long story. I was going to sell it but take it and hightail it back to her side. Believe me, she probably needs you now more then you know." He said.

Danse found a new level of respect and admiration for the synth detective, but he remembered something.

"I'll go after we catch the chem dealers."

"Go on! Shoo! I work better alone anyway." Nick said, shooing Danse away. Danse, now grinning from ear-to-ear shook Nick's hand strongly, without shuddering in disgust or even attempting to look away.

"Maybe she does have a good influence on you after all." Nick commented.

Then with a quick nod, Danse ran off into the night, heading for the Castle.


	20. Chapter 18

By many regards, Doctor Michelle Simmons was a genius. A brilliant chemist and partial mad scientist, she had gotten medical training off her father who had been a travelling doctor for years. After being kidnapped and sold into the slave trade, she had been forced to create insane chems that would deliver an almighty high, but would almost certainly kill any normal person. After Alexei had saved her, she decided to help right the wrong that she technically contributed to and became the resident doctor for the minutemen, running the infirmary at the castle. Shortly after, she began teaching willing civilians basic medical training so that they could help injured settlers or soldiers seeking aid.

Putting her skills to good use, she was the co-creator of a medicinal wonder drug. Along with Curie, who started her own clinic in Goodneighbour, they created a painkiller. They named it Ache-Away and it proved to be a massive success. Now though, Dr. Simmons was in her Castle infirmary, tending to the swollen and injured leg of one, Jess Reddington.

Pulling a needle and syringe from the tray on her left, Dr. Simmons proceeded to extract a sample of blood from around the injured infection on Jess' leg. She took the sample to see if the infection was indeed clearing and also hoping that Jess' body had started to create anti-bodies against the poison. She was trying to make better and improved samples of anti-venom, but needed the biological data. As Jess was aching in pain on the bed alongside her, Alexei was being checked out by Simmons' apprentice, to see if she had sustained any stress or strain based injuries.

"Would you stop moaning, Jess! It's only to see if you're getting any better!" Mullins exclaimed from the doorway. Jess turned and stared at Mullins with mock insult.

"Well Drake, how about I go and get a scorpion the size of a goddamn yao-guai to stab you in the calf. See if you're all high and mighty then." Jess shouted, ending with another deep grunt in pain.

"You'd be surprised just how much people hate getting injected or syringed. You know those bandits that used to be screaming about showering in the blood of their enemies? They'd become giant spluttering babies when I'd pull the needles out. Even when it was in order to save their bloody lives." Michelle told them, earning a laugh from Alexei.

"Please General, stop moving." The apprentice said as she attempted to count her pulse along to the quiet whirring of the Wakemaster alarm clock that rested beside Doctor Simmons' terminal.

"When are you going to tell them about the Elder, Ma'am?" Jess asked through her teeth.

"Soon, I hope. I will go and see whose assembled outside first." Alexei said, hopping off the table as she was cleared medically. Shaking the gathering dirt off her coat, she clipped up the buttons and proceeded outside. The courtyard was beginning to get crowded as Brotherhood Knights and Scribes started filling in among the already abundant Minutemen forces. Soon though, Alexei spotted familiar faces walking into the courtyard. It was Rys, Haylin and Ingram. Walking over, Alexei was happy to see the other two members of recon team Gladius. While Haylin showed some small bit of respect before Alexei, Rys acted all proper, addressing the Sentinel, with proper decorum and stood, saluting her.

"Hello ma'am. Again I'm deeply sorry for being so rude to you back when you first showed up at the police station. You have shown me as well as everyone else that you are a capable and extraordinary soldier." Rys said, his head bowed in both respect to her as well as shame for his previous actions.

"It's alright Rys. I told you already that I accept your apology. Hold your head up high, Soldier. You did good in the battle against the Institute." Alexei replied. As Rys continued walking into the courtyard, Haylin came over to talk.

"Hello there Alexei. How's things. I trust that things are all well with our mutual friend?" She asked. Deciding not to answer the question vocally, Alexei gave a nod, the scribe being smart enough to understand her meaning. Following off after Rys, that then left Alexei and Ingram.

"Well, how's the dig going, Proctor?" Alexei asked.

"Again as I told you already, the level of sophistication with that tech is way beyond what I thought possible. Who knows? If the Institute decided to use their brains for good, maybe they would have done so much better. They were creating synthetic animals, synthetic food, all sorts of improvements. But they decided to use shadow tactics, replace our loved ones with cold, hard robotics and they got just what they deserved." Ingram said. "Actually, any word back from Arthur and the Prydwen yet?"

Alexei hadn't the heart to tell her the truth yet, so she gave a shrug of her shoulders and dismissed the question. Gesturing for Ingram to continue walking in, She asked a minuteman soldier beside her to make sure all personnel were present and accounted for. She then proceeded to walk up onto the wall of the castle, where Sturges and Shaun had set up an improvised PA system.

As the feedback rang into the air, Alexei cleared her throat and began to speak to the crowd.

"Hello, my dear friends. As you all know, the Prydwen sailed West to New Vegas three weeks ago. She sailed with over 2000 souls aboard, all being close friends or family members to most of you all. Well it is with a heavy heart that I tell you that there has been a terrible tragedy. Due to unprovoked aggression from our new enemy, the eastern chapter of the Brotherhood of Steel has been destroyed. Elder Arthur Maxson, along with the Prydwen and all other souls aboard are dead."

The crowd broke down into a mad series of anger, tears, pain and confusion.

"You may wish to know how I know this. Well three days ago, Knight-Captain Mullins came to me, saying that the High Elder wished to speak with me. He told me about some troubling news. He had gotten reports that the Prydwen had been shot down using the Archimedes II space laser. Elder McNamara of the western chapter had originally tried to acquire the technology for the Brotherhood, but a Mojave courier by the name of William Turner managed to get it first. He used it to kill our family. Our friends. Our loved ones and the ones we hold dear. After I reported back, I found out that the remaining Elders voted me in as the next Elder for this chapter and in respect to Elder Maxson, I accepted the position." Alexei explained.

"That's bullshit!" Someone shouted as he fought his way to the front of the gathered crowd. Alexei noticed him as part of Arthur's old team, Team Sovereign. A paladin Du Foe if she remembered correctly.

"Ever since that synthetic bastard Danse brought you to us, everything's changed. You became Elder Maxson's favourite. You got to storm the institute. You probably organised to have the Elder killed, just so you could seize power. You are a cold, traitorous Bitch and I will put you down where you stand!" He said as he grabbed his rifle off his back. Again, not looking to entice unnecessary violence, Alexei stood there, stoic and emotionless. She had decided that she would only resume leadership, if the troops agreed. If one of them wanted her lead to end violently, so be it.

"Well? Anything to say before I put you down?" He said, aiming for her head. What happened next, surprised her. Rys walked up to Du Foe and disarmed him, finally bringing the butt of the Rifle down across his face. He crumpled to the floor, clutching the side of his face.

"What the hell! You've just committed insubordination you little bastard. I'll have you kicked out faster then you can say 'Well damn'!" He shouted.

Nodding to Mullins, Alexei stared at Rys. She was honoured that he stood up for her. When they had first met, neither of them liked each-other. They only ever talked when it was under order from Danse or when they'd throw insults at each-other when he was out on patrol. Now though, she respected him that much more. She'd have to talk to him later. Her attention going back to Mullins, she watched as he carted Du Foe off to the Cells built underneath the Castle. Again she addressed the audience.

"While I understood that there would be some turmoil over my new position, I will only continue as your Elder if you believe in me. If you don't want me to lead you, I will head back to D.C and ask the High Elder to give someone else the position."

There was a heavy silence for about a minute. Looking around, Alexei could see the different soldiers looking her over, studying her. Looking around the Castle, she could see the minutemen looking on her now as well. Suddenly every hand went up and came down across the chests of everyone in the crowd. In unison, everyone shouted

"AD VICTORIUM MA'AM! We'll follow you!"

Alexei felt ecstatic. She felt proud to have these soldiers serve under her. Deciding to repay the respect she was being shown, her hand went up, coming down on her chest.

"Ad Victorium! Brotherhood. May Steel guide and protect us. Now go to the canteen and get fed. I'll have orders for you tomorrow morning." She said. Everyone cheered and headed for the canteen, arms draped on shoulders and laughing loudly.

Alexei left the stage and went down onto the courtyard. Calling over Rys, she was surprised on how fast he had shown up. He stood before her, saluting.

"Can I help you, Elder Coles?" He asked. Alexei put her hands on his shoulders, the contact slightly catching him off guard.

"I just wanted to thank you for saving me earlier. You're quite proficient at hand-to-hand combat. Do you ever think you'd be up to being a combat trainer?" She replied. Staring back at her, he said;

"I'll do whatever role you wish of me to fulfil."

"That's ok. Thank you again. Now go and have some fun. Enjoy yourself"

Saluting, he walked off and went into the canteen. Alexei though, feeling the exhaustion from the past few days, pivoted on her heels and headed for her quarters. She was surprised to see Mullins and a limping Jess, stationed outside.

"What are you two doing here? I'm pretty sure I ordered for people to enjoy themselves." Alexei said, earning a stare from Jess.

"I'm sorry ma'am, but someone did try to kill you about 15 minutes ago. We're not going taking any chances." Jess said, leaning against the wall.

"That's ok, but you can barely stand and Mullins' half asleep." She said, as Mullins left out a deep yawn. "I was able to protect myself before. I can do it again for one night. Now you go the Infirmary and you head for the barracks and get some sleep. And that's an order."

The two soldiers nodded and walked off. Alexei walked into her room and shut the door behind her. Taking her coat off, she hung it up on the stand beside her. Removing her officers uniform, she put on a pair of light trousers and an off-white tank top. She sat down on an armchair and stared at the fire dancing in the fire pit that she had installed recently. Suddenly she heard a soft sizzle and a softening whirr as though a machine was powering down. Grabbing her combat knife, she got up. Suddenly her knife was thrown from her grip and she was embraced deeply. It took her a minute to register who it was but once she heard his deep once and smelled his regular musk of sweat and gunpowder, She knew it was Danse.

"Oh god, I missed you!" He claimed, but still quiet enough that he wouldn't raise attention. Returning the hug, she claimed

"I missed you too Danse. I really missed you."

"Anything new happen while you were away?" Danse asked her.

Alexei felt horrible that she had to tell him that his family was dead, but knew that it would hurt him more if she didn't.

"There is, but I have something important to tell you first."

" and what's that" he asked, finally breaking away from the embrace.

"I'm afraid that Arthur is dead."


	21. Chapter 19

As his arms dropped, Danse stood back. As his mind tried to understand what he had been told, he began to stammer and stumble over his words. Finally he sank into the chair that Alexei had just risen from, dropping his head down low. While she had never seen him shed a tear before, he seemed close to breaking point. Looking at her through red, puffy eyes, he could only ask.

"What happened?"

Alexei sat beside him on the couch and draped her arm over his shoulders. Taking a minute to let his emotions settle, she explained everything. Arthur, The death and destruction and the fate of his former brothers and sisters in steel. While she didn't overly care for the more racist and bigoted members of the Order, she wouldn't begrudge him his own time to mourn his losses. She knew he had a hard time over losing Cutler, but to lose one's entire family in one fell swoop would be painful for anyone. Once the silence got too much though, Alexei stood up and headed for the door.

"Wait... Where are you going?" Danse asked, his tone clearly showing his weakened state of mind.

"I thought that you might want some time alone. You know, to process the information. Don't worry, I'm just headed to the canteen. I'll be back soon." Alexei said as she laid her left hand on the door. Opening the door, Alexei could see that Danse seemed to be grabbing the air, attempting to try and call her back. As she closed the door again, she headed over to the restored wooden cabinet that she had standing in the corner. As she undid a single latch, the cabinet opened to reveal a cornucopia of liquors. Malted, aged, matured, it was an alcoholics worst enemy and best friend. As she recovered two small glasses from another cabinet, she began mixing up a wild concoction of spirits, soon revealing her masterpiece. She sat beside Danse, handing him one of the two glasses.

"It's an odd concoction I came up with. It helps with the pain." Alexei explained as Danse observed the toxic cocktail. As Danse slowly lifted the glass to his lips, he watched as Alexei downed her own drink and seemed to dissolve into the seat alongside him.

"I just hope that it doesn't kill me." Danse joked as he swallowed the mixture. As he winced at the bitter taste, almost immediately, his worries and pain seemed to dull as his vision clouded and his arms felt heavy. As he could barely turn his head, it was difficult but he could see Alexei asleep beside him, trying her best to cuddle up to him for warmth before she went limp from the strange drink also. Lying there with Alexei beside him, Danse felt as though nothing in the physical world could be better than this. The feeling he had in his heart, either real or synthetic, felt as though it was pounding hard, threatening to break out of his rib-cage. He was thankful for Alexei. How she didn't try and sugar-coat the truth about the Brotherhood, how she sat beside him, supporting him and how she practically drugged him to get him relaxed. He loved her, far more than he loved anything else in his life. He loved the Brotherhood. Implemented her tenets into his everyday life, even though he didn't have to, and tried to support them as much as he could, but he would leave that whole part of his life behind him if it threatened to complicate things with Alexei. Willing his arm as hard as he could, he sluggishly wrapped it around his love lying beside him and then felt the tender embrace of sleep as he too drifted off.

It was not an easy morning however. Because of the sheer strength of the drink the night before, Danse awoke to a cocked shotgun and a pounding headache. As he opened his eyes slowly, trying his best to avoid the blinding assault from the Commonwealth sunshine, he saw that he was face-to-muzzle with a combat shotgun. He clutched his hand to his right temple, trying to satiate the mental assault and try to get the world around him to resume at a normal speed. As he slowly attempted to rise up onto his feet, he got a kiss from the butt of the shotgun into his nose, adding to the growing migraine. Now, he tried his best to listen and focus on the person still holding their shotgun in his direction.

"Who.. you..how...here?!" Was all he heard as the person seemed to get progressively angrier.

As he got comfortable, lying on the couch, he heard Alexei and soon fell asleep again, the pain in his head numbing the rational decision to get up.

Alexei woke up rather refreshed and felt cosy. Upon looking at Danse's hungover state, she wondered did she in-fact make his drink a little bit too strong for him. She knew that he liked the occasional bottle of Gwinnett stout, so maybe she did. As she began to notice more around her, she noticed that her bedroom door was open and that Danse was bleeding from his nose. As the familiar colours of a bruise began to show on the bridge of his nose, Alexei jumped up and grabbed some tissue from her private bathroom. As she came back and began to dab away the crimson liquid, Jess came back into the room, her shotgun pointed at the ex-soldier, lying on the couch.

"Ma'am! Step away slowly..." Jess warned her, but Alexei ignored her and continued to dab away the blood. Jess grabbed her wrist and Alexei turned around, her eyes showing a wild, yet tame fury and she slowly let go.

"If I might ask ma'am? What are you doing? That thing is a monster, a beast, a major sin against nature. It should be put down, dismantled and each part melted down, not cared for..." Jess said, her voice sharp, vicious and unforgiving.

"This man has saved my life so many times that if you call HIM a THING again, I'll have you brought up on charges, knight." Alexei warned her.

As Jess scoffed in disgust, Danse began to move and his hand went back to clutch his temple, now however his other hand went to soothe his aching nose. As Alexei handed him a small purple tablet and a glass of water, Jess turned away, refusing to even look at the former soldier.

"If you'd rather not help here knight, then I recommend you go outside and gather everyone in the courtyard. I've an announcement to make." Alexei warned her again.

"Right away, Elder!" She said, venomously as she left the room.

Danse looked at Alexei with a confused look on his face.

"Why did she just call you Elder?"

"I'm sorry Patrick, but I never told you last night that after I confirmed that Arthur was in-fact dead, the surviving Elders elected me to take his place. I had hoped that I could tell you without a shotgun being thrown in your face, but nobody's perfect." Alexei told him with a smirk.

Danse made sure not to show it, but he was afraid. Afraid of what he had discussed with Nick. He would fight for his future with Alexei but he would not, could not let her get hurt just because he wouldn't let go. Rising to his feet, he hugged Alexei.

"Congratulations! I don't know anyone else who would be better suited for the position." He told her.

"Thanks. I want to hold a memorial service for the dead some time today though. I want you to be there to say something. Please?" She asked.

Danse nodded and proceeded to the door.

"Where are you going? This whole announcement business is about you.." Alexei asked him as she fastened her jumpsuit closed. Dusting her jacket off, she walked out of the room.

"Meet me on the battlements in five minutes, please." She called behind her.


	22. Chapter 20

The heat was heavy on his shoulders as Danse stood out upon the battlements of the castle. Alexei had asked him to come out here, but as more and more Brotherhood soldiers looked at him with disgust and disbelief, he began to wish that for once he disobeyed an order and stayed inside. As his eyes scanned everyone that stood in front of him, he eventually settled on the reassuring glance he received from Scribe Haylin, who had come out to offer her support. Feeling ashamed that he betrayed her and Rys, he tried to stand back, but was interrupted when Alexei came out of the armoury and headed towards the podium. She was shadowed by her security detail, but they stood back, granting her, her personal space. It always surprised Danse, exactly how many personas Alexei seemed to have as she was capable of changing between them instantly. Earlier, he had met her soft and affectionate side when they were alone, but now he was witnessing her stoic authoritative side and to be frank, she was terrifying. Her posture was straight, strong and unbroken. Her eyes showed determination and her walk showed poise and grace. She climbed the battlements, taking two steps in each stride and soon stood before the gathered Brotherhood soldiers.

"I stand before your today as your Elder. I am glad to have gotten to know you over the course of my campaign, fighting against the Institute and especially the battle of bunker hill. While I am grateful for the whole experience, it would not have been possible, if not for the efforts of one former-Paladin Patrick Danse. The paladin has been forgotten and disgraced by you all and now I wish to offer him a chance to present himself before you and tell you his own side of the story about the reality of him being a synth. Could you possibly stand forward please." Alexei said as she gestured to one side, beckoning for Danse to step forward. He did as he was asked and stood before the crowd. As they threw objection after rejection at him, he kept his resolve and took the verbal assault.

"Shoot the robot freak!" Someone shouted from the back. Soon a small group started to chant the mantra but Alexei soon interfered.

"Danse is not to be harmed. The threat of the institute is no more. I personally saw to that as I executed my own flesh and blood. The Institute and all it's resources are now belonging to the Brotherhood. I am re-instating Knight-lieutenant Danse, effective immediately and he will handle recruit training." Alexei said, her tone final.

Eyes stared at her, dumbfounded. First were the soldiers, staring at their leader confused on why she'd possibly recruit a member of the enemy. Second were Danse's. Here was the new Elder, his love, sticking her neck out for him, attempting to try and give him reason again. She probably knew how much he missed the Brotherhood but he had given up hope of ever being a member again. That heavy thumping feeling in his chest began to take up pace then, seemed to ascend to another plane in that instance. No one had ever tried to help him or others around them like Alexei did. He now knew that he couldn't possibly ever be without her. Even if nothing ever came from it, he'd protect her until he couldn't keep going.

The silence was broken by a laser fire. Every one turned to see the now disgraced Paladin Du Foe. He was clutching a laser rifle to his chest and was shaking with rage. He had a look of angry determination on his face and was aiming the rifle directly at Alexei. Almost automatically, Jess and Mullins practically jumped in front of Alexei, aiming their own weaponry at Du Foe. Relieving herself of a frustrated sigh, Alexei walked out in front of her guards despite their objections. She opened her coat to reveal a pistol hanging on her hip. Everyone knew about the General's beloved 44. magnum. The crowd watched as she unclipped the holster, removed the handcannon and dropped it beside her.

"I will not have our Brothers and Sisters turned against each other. If you have a problem with me, Du Foe I recommend that you be able to keep up your side of the argument with more than hot air and thick-headed bravado. We will fight fairly, one against one. Hands only." She said as she cracked her knuckles.

The former Paladin cracked a scheming smile. He cracked his own knuckles and threw his rifle to the ground. As they progressed closer together, Alexei took a closer look around her. The normal bustling hub had lulled to a silenced observation, everyone interested with how the fight was going to end up. For only a quick second, her eyes locked with Danse's, his intensive worries and fears being projected by the look in his eyes. She knew that she still had to prove herself a leader to the militaristic faction, but had hoped that it wouldn't involve bloodshed. She was peaceful to a fault, but ask any of her friends and they'll all tell you the same thing. When she's determined, she can accomplish anything. While some members, more the Minutemen than the Brotherhood looked on the fight with varying levels of worriment, Alexei did not falter. She had confidence in her abilities and hoped that the people around her could see it.

"Arthur may have talked about the Institute being a malignant growth or a cancer, but little did he know that you were the cause of it all. You gave birth to the biggest terror this miserable piece of land had ever experienced. You were the malignant growth. You were the cancer and Arthur should have killed you as soon as you set foot on board the Prydwen. Instead, you worked from the shadows against our proud faction and killed our leader, only to be mysteriously put in his place. You are a scheming piece of shit and I will take your life to grant our fallen members justice... I've been waiting for this for a long time." Du Foe said, angrily.

Without mentioning a word, Alexei cracked her neck and squared her legs. Getting into a defensive stance, she gestured with two fingers for the Paladin to make his move. Shouting in intense anger, Du Foe was surprisingly fast but only seemed to be capable of charging in straight lines. It was almost like Brahmin fighting. As Alexei displayed her superior agility over Du Foe, she slipped and fell back on her leg. She gave out a sharp gasp in pain, but was able to recover in time, to narrowly avoid a fist to the face. Alexei knew her movement abilities had been severely weakened but she had thankfully managed to tire Du Foe out slightly, his movements becoming uncoordinated and sluggish. At this point, his stamina had been depleted but his intense anger and the excessive amount of adrenaline in his system kept him going. Then just as Du Foe was about to charge at Alexei, she got ready to deliver a round kick to his chest, but as she swung, he grabbed her leg, surprising her. As he slammed her into a wall, she had been winded. Relentless in his assault, his heavy punches were mainly aimed at her face and chest, in a brutal attempt to keep her winded, dazed or unfortunately both. Eventually he relented, but it seemed only so that he could try and savour the fact that he was about to kill her. Alexei was now leaning against the walls of the castle, he face, swollen and bloody, and she was unable to move. As Du Foe laughed at his victim, he slowly walked away from her, giving them both some distance. Slowly, he pulled a combat knife from a small holster on his calf and began to twirl it in the mid-day sunshine. His arm coiled back and he got ready to throw. Alexei closed her eyes and knew that this was it.

Nothing. Nothing happened which seemed to shock Alexei. As she opened her eyes, she could see what happened. Danse was lying in the middle of their make-shift battle arena and had a knife sticking out of his chest. Everyone was shocked at the scene but if by some hidden strength, Alexei managed to push herself off the wall and she managed to get to Danse. His eyes were fluttering open and closed and he himself didn't seem to realise what he had actually done. Grabbing the knife by the handle, using little effort, Alexei managed to pull the weapon out. As she looked at her love dying beside her, her vision became clouded with anger and suppressed rage. She threw the knife at the still-shocked Du Foe and hit him in the eye. There was a temporary scream of pain before the paladin keeled over dead. Putting as much pressure as she could down on his wound, Alexei shouted for Doctor Simmons. As everyone went scrambling about the Castle looking for the doctor, Alexei tried her best to look into Danse's eyes, trying her best to keep herself and him as calm as possible.

"That was a stupid thing to do Patrick." Alexei whispered.

"What can I say? You always manage to bring the crazy out in me, Alexei.."

Suddenly Dr. Simmons arrived and was followed by two teams of Minutemen holding stretchers. As she watched Danse get taken away, Alexei finally succumbed to her injuries and fell unconscious.


End file.
